Division
by Sugahlei
Summary: R - Naruto loses a part of himself through a forbidden jutsu--except that part isn't so far away. Things change, and Naruto is who he was supposed to be. (KyubiSasukeNaruto - yaoi)
1. one

**~Warning/Disclaimer~**

Naruto and the characters don't belong to me; they belong to Kishimoto.  *sigh* I want a demon fox.  ^_^  anyhoo—started a new fic that spawned on me one morning.  It's a welcome change to the other Naruto fic and will help me keep focus. 

**Rated R for dark themes, future…situations and the usual yaoi-ness.  ^_^**

Side note – this takes place after the Chuunin exam, but Sasuke never leaves, and the two never fight, and Kakashi still trains the three of them.  

Think age 15!! If you've got questions, I'll try to answer them as best as possible.  

Enjoy!

**Division**

**~one~**

He wakes to the taste of blood in his mouth, the pain of something throbbing behind his eyes.  He doesn't understand this pain at first, and curls into a tight little ball to avoid it; the motion just seems to make it worse.  He gags on stale blood coating his tongue and feels a pinpricky numbness settling into his bones.

Something is wrong; this much he knows, although the world is fuzzy through his cracked eyelids and the sound around him is hollow.  

Part of him is missing.  He can sense it.  He panics at it and struggles enough to spur his slow consciousness forward.  Sandy earth grates under his cheek, and the ringing in his ears suddenly morphs into amused and sullen laughter.

Naruto opens his eyes enough to see the bits of gravel and sand and dirt, a lone ant wandering in a confused circle, and tiny blades of grass that stir with his breathing.

_This isn't good, he has time to think.  He hurts all over, afraid and unable to voice the thick welling horror in his throat._

Something jabs at him, and he hears what sounds like words but he doesn't understand them.  The meaning slips away after a brief moment of concern and something pulls at him.  He moans inaudibly and nearly vomits as the world spins around him.

Wrong. So wrong.

He looks up into sky with half-open eyes, the sunlight beyond the trees hurting his eyes.  The too-loud sounds that make no sense make him feel dizzy and sick; even though he has to admit that _everything makes him feel particularly bad.  A face moves into his vision, unfamiliar and at the same time he knows it—but he's unsure of how.  He doesn't have a name for the person._

All he feels, as the man reaches down and drags him upright by the loose collar of his jacket, is a brief despair and a rising urge to scream.

He needs someone, needs help, anything.

The man turns his head and speaks, the words fading in and out and utter nonsense to him.  Naruto knows instinctively—or perhaps the knowledge was already there—that the man is speaking to his comrade.  Then he whimpers as the man shakes him, laughing that horrid laugh.

Something is very very wrong.

They set him on the ground but his legs won't hold him; he buckles, but the men grab his arms and hold him upright, pivoting him until he's facing the opposite direction.

Red eyes watch him impassively, form and face and smile all wrong and right. He stares with that sick horror choking him, pulling with sticky-hot fingers at his mind and meets the crimson gaze with his, the bloodlust and anger and _wrongness _beating at him with rapid wingbeats—

The men shove him forward—and he shrieks.

///

Sasuke doesn't show the worry that creeps ice-cold around his heart. He doesn't react in any visible way other than to open his eyes when he hears the tell-tale 'poof' of Kakashi's arrival.  Not even Sakura, who waits silently next to him, brings up the reason for Sasuke's worry.

"Where's Naruto?" Kakashi asks, surprised.  "Did he get the message?"

"We haven't seen him all day," Sakura offers quietly, looking sideways at Sasuke. 

Sasuke doesn't move, but his narrow gaze slides off to the distance and inward at the same time.  

"Well," Kakashi drawls.  "Let's go check the ramen stands…"

///

Naruto feels nothing but cold as he stumbles on stiff legs towards—towards somewhere.  The Hokage.  Tsunade.  He has to find the Hokage. She would fix…fix him.

He keeps close to the shadows of the buildings he walks by, one hand bracing against the various walls, the other clutching his middle.  He can sense things around him, people and stares and fear.  He can smell fear.

He _reeks of fear and pain.  Of blood.  Redness floats just behind his eyes; it's a presence he has had felt somewhere else, so it's strange to feel it in a different place.  Out there.  Away from him._

_Sasuke._

Something inside him cracks and an overwhelming need to find someone he knows, someone he feels safe with—away from that redness—or with it, he's not sure—and he doubles over, clutches at his head.  The breath whistles through his teeth as he sucks in air and the pain swirls through his body.

_Run._

_Run **now.**  _

Naruto snaps his eyes open and follows the instinct, ducks under the fist of a heavy man determined to remove the unwanted presence that has stumbled to a stop in front of his stall; Naruto knows that if he stops or lets any one of the people watching him with such vicious hatred get near something bad will happen.

He doesn't know if it will be bad for him, or bad for the people, but he doesn't dare risk.

The man curses at him, the voice shrill and fearful, and Naruto stumbles into a run.

He doesn't realize that they stare at him because of the blood on his clothes, on his skin and face, because he acts so _strange_ and possessed.  He doesn't know.  

It's the only reason he doesn't simply stop in his tracks and scream; he doesn't know.

Naruto manages to run for six or seven yards when something strikes him about the head and knocks him sprawling.  Warmth trickles unpleasantly slow across his neck and he realizes, as dark-colored liquid spatters onto the pavement, that he's bleeding.

People are throwing things at him.  His vision wavers and he feels a sense of pain entirely familiar that it chokes the breath from him.  People _hate _him.  He can hear them yelling at him, can sense their fear and their animalistic bloodlust.

_Get up._

But he can't.

///

Sasuke hears the yelling rise in volume further down the street and frowns.  His worry has turned into black and churning fear; Naruto is nowhere to be found and he knows it's unlike the blond to miss something as vital as training.  Sasuke _knows this._

So when his instincts scream at what sounds like a mob after a thief, he vanishes before Sakura or Kakashi can move to stop him.

He skids to a stop just beyond the end of the street, stumbling, nearly falling, and chokes back a hoarse curse.  Stones and food and dishes from the nearby stands clatter on the ground, chipping pavement and sending dirt sprawling.

A heavy man with narrow-set eyes throws half of a chair; but by luck or sheer bad aim, nothing strikes the sprawled figure in the street.

_Oh god, Sasuke thinks._

The dark-haired boy appears at the Naruto's side before anyone realizes he's arrived, arm swinging and shuriken flinging aside any incoming missiles.  He bares his teeth in an uncommon display of expression, saying without words that he will retaliate.

Naruto manages to push himself to his knees, splattered with clotted blood and bits of gore; Sasuke hadn't seen this in his sudden glance.  When he does, he can only stare—

Something is wrong.

And he knows, somehow, that the people surrounding him will not sit and let him protect something they want so obviously to kill.

_What did you do, Naruto?_

Sasuke kneels quickly by the blond, producing a small square of clean linen to press against the flow of fresh blood behind the boy's ear, wiping away dirt and what looks like tears.  "Naruto," he whispers.  "Naruto—what's wrong?"

"Sasuke," the boy breathes without looking at him, sounding terrified and young and _broken. "Sasuke!"_

The ebon-eyed boy narrows his eyes, unwilling or unable to express the concern, the shrill panic that has set itself into his bones, and glances around.  The people stare at them like murderous wolves scenting prey, sullen and hateful and determined.  Sasuke fights a shiver, and continues wiping away the muck on Naruto's face.  "What happened?" he whispers.

Clear blue eyes as wide as they can go focus on his face.  Naruto is shaking like a leaf and Sasuke is stunned by the complete opposite sense he's picking up from Naruto.  The blond had never shown this much fear, this much pain—he had never shown up covered in blood and mentally shattered, either—

Something is very wrong.

"I'm sorry," Naruto says clearly, numbly.  "I couldn't stop them."

Sasuke shakes his head before he can stop himself and wipes a smear of blood away from his cheek—and frowns.  "Naruto—" he whispers.  "Why—" he stops himself before he can finish; Naruto watches him with uncomprehending eyes above smooth _unmarked cheeks.  The lines that marked Naruto for what he was, for being __who he was; the marks have vanished as easily as wiped-away ink._

_It's him he thinks and then __It's_ not him_._

And a man yells "Kill him!"

_There are too many people Sasuke thinks, heart thudding in his chest.  Naruto flinches and lurches towards him, burrowing into his embrace before Sasuke can stop him; but the thought to push him away never crosses his mind.  Instead, he shoots his head up and glares at the people, _knowing_ he can't stop them by himself and that they were so worked into a frenzy—_

_Naruto, what did you do?_

—they're going to kill him, just as the unseen man had yelled, as all of them seemed to show in their eyes.  _They_ _want to kill him!_

He catches a blur of motion to his right; a fishwife with bloody apron and a twisted sneer throws the butcher's cleaver she holds, end over end and flashing in the light.  The thought that Naruto clutches at him, depends on him, crosses his mind but Sasuke doesn't know if his hand will make it to his kunai holster in time to draw and counter—

Something snarls, flashing orange and blood and the scent of something musky and strange.  Redness blurs on the edge of Sasuke's vision, half seen and unseen at the same time.  His hand doesn't stop in the quest for a kunai; a smooth practiced motion brings it to the forefront as something skids into a stop only a few feet away.

The cleaver flashes from the hand of Uzumaki Naruto—_a clone it has to be a clone_ he thinks—as the blond turns his head to stare at the woman.  Sasuke can't see the face; the people can, and they pull back and freeze into silence.

The other Naruto is growling softly, a rumbling sound that feels inhuman.  The cleaver goes hilt-deep into the ground with a mere flick of the wrist—even from here Sasuke notices the bloodstains splashed across the orange and wishes Kakashi was here because nothing makes sense when the other one turns to stare impassively in his direction.

He has seen that face before.  He sees that face every day, but never stained with blood and never with such blood-red eyes and a cold empty expression.  He has not seen such eyes since the time of the Chuunin exam; it is a memory he had pushed far away.

Something inside of him shrinks.

The red eyes drop briefly to Naruto shaking within Sasuke's grip.  They narrow and for a moment Sasuke reads confusion in their depths.

"Naruto?" Sasuke tries to speak.  "What's going on? What—what did you do?!"

The other doesn't answer.  He steps closer until Sasuke can _smell the blood, can almost taste it on his tongue. Something keeps him from moving; from sending the kunai through the stranger's throat even though a part of him wrings itself into knots to do so._

Sasuke can taste the scent of his own fear in his mouth, bitter and metallic, when the other Naruto slowly crouches.  A smile appears on the mouth, insane and cunning and unfriendly.  Bitter, Sasuke wants to think, but he can't afford the distraction.

The people around them are a mass of terror, and Sasuke can understand exactly how they feel.  The other Naruto reaches out to brush bloody fingers against the boy he's protecting, his face introspective.  He makes a short coughing sound; it might be a word but Sasuke can't understand it.

_What is he? he thinks. __What's happened?_

"Sasuke!" someone shouts as he stares at those crimson eyes, at the mockery and the amusement and…protection?  

Sasuke doesn't respond to the voice of Kakashi or to the breathless gasps of Sakura.  Instead, he asks the one thing that strikes at his mind, shrieking in his heart.  "What are you?" he whispers.

The other Naruto smiles broadly, fox-like, and he can tell—the redness swirling around him forming into insane murderous chakra—that this Naruto is as real as the Naruto he's holding in his arms.

Sasuke shivers as the other blond makes a strange purring sound.

"Are you going to kill him?" he asks with a voice as icy as he can make it.  He shuts away the voice that shrieks it's too dangerous to even _think_ about defending against such a creature—but the threat in his voice is there.

It makes the other Naruto smirk before he shakes his head in a negative. "I _can't_ kill him," the other finally speaks.  His voice is low and raspy, emotionless.  "I'd be killing myself."  And he bares his teeth in a maniacal grin.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi shouts again from the sidelines. His voice is full of panic, something Sasuke hasn't heard in his teacher's voice in all the years he's trained with him.  "You need to move away from it!"

The dark-haired teen finds Kakashi's face in the crowd.  He feels a stab of surprise to see he's revealed the sharingan eye and has his hands blurring into seals.

And he knows instantly that the creature crouching before him could kill Kakashi in less than three seconds.

"Kakashi!" he warns, catching his eye and shaking his head.  "Something's wrong with Naruto!  We need to get him to the Hokage!"

"Oh, good _move," the other drawls approvingly.  "Very clever of you, Sasuke."_

Sasuke gathers the half-conscious Naruto into his arms and stands.  The blond curls against him, and he's aware of the sharp gaze of the second Naruto on his movements.  "Are you coming with me?" he says dryly.  

Naruto grins at him and rises to his feet.  

///

The Hokage seems to know they were heading her way; she meets them out on the street, disheveled and visibly strained.  She freezes, as everyone else has, the moment her eyes fall on the red-eyed Naruto, and she makes a strange sort of choking noise.

Her lips tighten into a white line and she lowers her head slightly. Sasuke clutches the shaking Naruto to him and follows the woman as she turns and walks away.

"What's going on?" he hears Sakura whisper tremulously in the background.  

Nobody answers.

They're led to a room on the higher level of the Hokage tower.  Tsunade throws open the doors and gestures them inside—Sasuke has noticed the strange tension that fills the other Naruto every time another person approaches or they pass someone with fear in their eyes.

He doesn't know what it means and doesn't have time to contemplate the hostile actions.

"Lay him down," Tsunade orders.  "Tell me what happened to him."

Sasuke kneels to lay the boy down and shrugs.  "I don't know," he answers.  "People were throwing things at him, someone wanted to kill him or he attacked someone—I don't know!"  he hesitates, then gently turns Naruto to face the Hokage.  "Look," he whispers hoarsely.  "I don't know what it means."

The second Naruto growls low in his throat as Tsunade approaches and reaches out a hand.  She shoots him a glare to silence him—which he does, to Sasuke's surprise—and runs her finger along the unmarked cheek.

"Interesting," she murmurs.  

Naruto doesn't seem to see her; his gaze is blank and his expression even worse.

"Stupid brat," she says. "Getting yourself messed up like this."

"What happened to him?" Sasuke asks.  "And who is _he?"_

"As far as I can tell," Tsunade begins, exchanging a glance with Kakashi.  "This is Naruto.  This is the Naruto he would have been."

It doesn't make sense to Sasuke, who frowns and glances down at the unresponsive Naruto.  _The Naruto that he would have been?__  "I don't understand."_

"It doesn't matter, Sasuke." She glances towards the red-eyed Naruto.  "Can you speak?"

"If I must," the other Naruto rasps.

"Who did this?"

"Men.  Two.  There was a scroll and a jutsu.  One called _Mirror I believe."_

Tsunade spits to the side and says "Are you sure?" in a tight little voice.  "They used the _Mirror_ jutsu on him?  That should have split his consciousness, not—the two of you."

"Side effect," Naruto grins lazily.  His voice is slowly growing hoarser, his posture more animalistic.  "They thought he was a boy.  They were wrong."  He suddenly brightens into a carnal delight. "I left one alive; would you like me fetch him?"

"Yes, you idiot!"

Sasuke gasps inspite of himself when the blurred swirl of chakra removes the strange Naruto—who doesn't seem to be Naruto at all.  He turns his gaze back to the suddenly weary Hokage and pushes away his panic.  "Who is he?" he repeats. "Tell me what's going on!"

Tsunade fixes her icy brown eyes on him and rests a hand on Naruto's forehead.  A glow surrounds her hand as she begins to speak; Sasuke can only guess that she's attempting to fix whatever mental problems the boy has now. Naruto shifts his head and slowly, his eyes close.

"According to…him…two men attempted a forbidden jutsu on Naruto.  It is called the _Mirror_ Jutsu, and when used properly, splits the consciousness into weak and strong.  The jutsu creates a bunshin of sorts that inhabits all the characterizations of the stronger identiy and tends to murder the weaker half. It's an assassination jutsu and it takes more than one person to do such a jutsu; one for a focus and one for the seals.  It is very dangerous."

"But—" Sakura speaks for the first time since arriving in the room.  "But what happened to Naruto?"

Tsunade sighs, looking down as the glow around her fingers fade.  "The jutsu failed because Naruto is in essence two beings.  It split him into what he would have been without the seal.  The other Naruto is not Naruto, girl.  It is Naruto's body, yes, but what inhabits it is far worse."

"The Kyubi," Sasuke whispers.  

"The…what?" Sakura breathes.  "Naruto is…what?"

Kakashi takes her gently by the shoulders and leads her to a corner, whispering to her.  Sasuke hears a stifled sob and winces.  To distract himself he lowers his gaze to Naruto—the real Naruto—and skims over the sleeping face.

"Uchiha," the Hokage says suddenly.  "I've healed some of the backlash of the jutsu, but it's absolutely necessary that you be there when he wakes.  Do you understand?"

"No," Sasuke snaps. "I don't understand anything!  This isn't possible—Naruto can't be split into two people!"

_This can't be true…_it can't be…__

"It's entirely possible," Tsunade smoothes back the tumbled golden hair, eyes reflective.  "I should have foreseen this; I could have used a spell to prevent this."  She sighs softly and uses the edge of her kimono to wipe at the dirt crusted onto Naruto's face.

Sasuke, looking down at the face he's seen and never seen, wonders just what this means.  He clears his throat.  "What…what will he do when he wakes?"

"I don't know.  It's difficult to say how much of his true personality was hidden.  All we can do is just wait and try to discover a way to reverse this."

Sasuke stops to think about this, hating the confusion and nauseating sense of falling.  "And…and him?"

Tsunade raises her head, gazing into the distance.  "He's coming back," she warns.  "He won't be so…neutral.  Kakashi—take Sakura to a different room and have someone bring her some tea."

"Hai," the unusually quiet sensei replied.  "Come on, Sakura," he coaxes the girl to standing; Sasuke doesn't turn around because he can hear the way her breathing is soggy, the hitch in her voice.  He doesn't like to see crying women; he feels obliged to agree or something.

The door shuts behind them, and for a moment, there's silence.

Then he can taste the blood on the back of his throat and smell that earthy scent.  Redness tinges the corners of his eyes and something goes sprawling onto the ground before him.  It is a man, bruised and bloody and half-dead, slashed and missing flesh.  Sasuke fights down a rising surge of bile and looks away.

"See?  I told you he was alive," the rough grinning voice of the Kyubi mocks.  Sasuke hears a rustle of the clothing and a strange heat settling at his back.  Sasuke's skin crawls and he fights the urge to move away.

"Good job," Tsunade replies dryly, and pushes the man onto his back with the heel of her hand.  "You, wake up!" she orders in biting tones.  The glow surrounds her hand, short and rough, and the man groans.  His eyes flutter.

The Hokage moves her hand in a certain direction and the man cries out, eyes flying open.  He can't move his arms, Sasuke notices, because it appears that the Hokage has destroyed the nervous system.

"Speak," the Hokage orders. "And I'll consider killing you quickly instead of the creature you unintentionally released."

The eyes roll towards Sasuke; the head, at least, is able to turn.  His face pales as Sasuke's sneering fury, at the sight of the sleeping Naruto and most likely the Kyubi behind them both.

"No," the man moans. "No no no. It's not possible—"

Tsunade grabs his chin and forces his eyes to hers.  "What was your purpose in using a jutsu on him!?"

The man chokes and gurgles, eyes bulging.  "It—it was practice!  I was sent to assassinate the Hokage—you—with the jutsu but we've never used it—please, kill me, kill me before he tears me apart—"

"Who sent you?"

"I don't know!" the man shrieks, his eyes sliding in the demon's direction.  Sasuke hears a rustle of clothing, and a soft snarl.  "I never saw the man! We're missing-nin—_kill me! Kill me I beg you!"_

"You are already dead," the Hokage spits.  She twists his head until the bones in his neck snap.  Then, with a motion, she sends the body sliding across the floor into the corner and turns her gaze onto the demon.

"Tell me why you aren't destroying this village."

Sasuke hears the demon sigh, "Idiot." and then a blood-spattered arm reaches around him and hikes up the hem of Naruto's jacket and places a hand on his bare stomach.  A spiral fades into view, Naruto himself twitching and moaning slightly.

"He still bears the seal; the design, remember?  Only human chakra can maintain it; while this body is human, _I _am not."

_It makes sense, Sasuke thinks slowly.  "You can't get free while the seal is whole," he says calmly.  "And if you destroy the seal, you destroy yourself because your life is tied with his.  Am I right?"_

"You _are clever," the kyubi mutters.  "Asshole.  You think I want to be in this body?"_

"Why'd you attack the village 15 years ago then?" Sasuke snapped. "It's your own fault you're in this situation!"

"True," the demon purrs, sidling around until he can face Sasuke directly.  "And if you were anyone but Sasuke I would rip off your face and wear it to dance on your body."

"Try me, demon," Sasuke hisses, eyes bleeding into the sharingan.

"Enough!" Tsunade thunders. "I'm going to find you a place where you will be alone.  Naruto needs time to heal, and you, Kyubi—if that's your name—must learn how to deal with humans while you are in this state!"

"With him, since the kit has decided to attach himself to the human?" Kyubi murmurs slyly.  "Are you sure you can trust me?"

"I trust nothing when it comes to you," the Hokage says in a stern voice. "But you will do as I say or I will seal you into a diseased dog!"

Sasuke watches as she pushes the demon out of the way and shudders when the eyes slide to his.  It's disturbing to see such amusement on such a familiar face, such crimson eyes and a tainted chakra.  Disturbing to see Naruto without the marks on his face, without his bouncy hyperactive self, his attitude…

"Sasuke—"

The dark-haired boy looks up.

"I'm going to wake him now," Tsunade warns.

Sasuke nods abruptly.  His gaze slides to the fox and he stares—Kyubi raises a brow between the methodical cleansing he's giving his hands.  Sasuke jerks his gaze away with a lurching gut; the expression has too much enjoyment for him to handle.  Tsunade has placed her hands against Naruto's chest and a soft pink glow suffuses his skin.

After a second Naruto jerks, arching, and his sky-blue eyes shoot open.  He heaves a gasp as if torn from a nightmare and his eyes flicker around before landing on Tsunade.  

"H-Hag," he coughs and pulls at her arm.  "I couldn't stop them—I'm sorry!"

"Shh," the woman whispers.  "It's alright.  Sasuke's here and those men are dead."

Naruto's face pales into whiteness. "He killed them," he states in a small horrified voice. "They…it hurt.  It really hurt and he killed them and I'm all _dirty_ and—" his breathing breaks into jerking rasps and Sasuke places a hand against the chest to keep the sudden struggles.

"Naruto?" he questions softly.  

The boy looks up at him, making eye contact for the first time with the spark of awareness, and his hands weave slowly into Sasuke's shirt and hold tight.  "Sasuke," the blond whispers, shuddering.  "I can't feel it anymore."  He turns into Sasuke's lap; to his discomfort the black-haired teen isn't sure exactly what he should do.

"Feel what?" he questions calmly, gingerly placing a hand on the curled shoulder.

Naruto merely shakes his head and closes his eyes. "I want to sleep," he says in a small voice.  "I don't feel good."

Sasuke exchanges a worried glance with Tsunade, worry twisting into his gut.  "Naruto," he tries again.  "What about—"

Sasuke freezes as Kyubi snakes out a hand and brushes it against Naruto's foot with a peculiar sigh. The demon crawls slowly around to Naruto's back with submissive movements and his face blank.

_What is he doing? Sasuke thinks in surprise, glancing at Naruto's trembling hands as they move over his face; he's crying, silently.  "Oh," Sasuke breathes, suddenly understanding.  The demon curls up against Naruto's back, giving as much comfort as something like him could give, and hides his face between the shoulder blades._

_He's lost...himself, Sasuke lowers his hand and strokes the yellow hair, trying his best to gather the boy to him. __I can imagine what it feels like.  I think I know. He rests his forehead against the shoulder, hearing the sobs and the coughs and the tiny whimpers and holds as tight as he could._

"I'll make the apartment arranges," Tsunade assures him in a whisper and a hand against his head.

Sasuke doesn't answer, and closes his eyes, trying hard to ignore the scent of the demon and the sense of his chakra, and the pain that he feels when he hears the hiccups.

With his eyes closed and his head averted, Sasuke is unaware of the calculating crimson gaze of the demon peering over the curve of Naruto's arm, and the almost hungry expression.

Sasuke's mind is on other things, and it's exactly how the demon wants it.

~TBC~

~a/n – well—to explain this one further, I had a strange dream with two Narutos (one good and one evil) with Sasuke looking for the good one but making out with the bad one by mistake.

It was a good dream. :D

So, here it is!  _ I have a habit of writing more than one fic at a time, so you'll have to forgive me.  If you like this one as much as "Out from Inside" then you'll be alright—I'll either update this one or the next one—either way you win! mwhaha.

As for the pairings…well…I'll explain them further when the time comes.  


	2. two

**~Warning/Disclaimer~**

Naruto and the characters don't belong to me; they belong to Kishimoto. *sigh* I want a demon fox. ^_^ anyhoo—started a new fic that spawned on me one morning. It's a welcome change to the other Naruto fic and will help me keep focus. 

**Rated R for dark themes, future…situations and the usual yaoi-ness. ^_^**

Side note – this takes place after the Chuunin exam, but Sasuke never leaves, and the two never fight, and Kakashi still trains the three of them. 

Think age 15!! If you've got questions, I'll try to answer them as best as possible. 

Enjoy!

**Division**

~**two~**

"Do you understand me, Sasuke?"

For a long breathless moment Sasuke can only stare at the woman across from him, the Hokage, in an effort to believe that he heard her wrong.

"Sasuke?" her voice is cool, warning coated in ice.

"Yes," Sasuke rasps and can't hide the shudder that courses through him.  "But I can't do something like that. I can't just…just bow _down like that…"_

The woman's gaze is unreadable.  Sasuke would like to think she feels sympathy for him, even pity is something he'll accept—but he can't read any emotion whatsoever on her face.  He turns his head away from her, and listens numbly.

"To keep the situation stable you will do whatever is necessary.  He is kitsune, Sasuke.  He is demon.  He has a body that he can roam freely in for the first time in years and if you can't keep him placid…For Naruto's sake, at least…"

She doesn't have to say what could happen; Sasuke knows this already. It's imprinted upon his mind like finely-scratched wounds.  He nods slowly.  

"I should go back," he whispers.

"Understood," Tsunade replies.  "I'll stop by in a few days.  I trust you will inform them of the story we're spreading around the village?"

"Yes," Sasuke says.  "I'll summon you if there's a problem."

~@~

Naruto rises to the surface of his mind from a dreamless sleep. Although he doesn't know it, he has been asleep for over twelve hours; his body is loose and feels the slightly numb sensation of much needed rest.  Almost of their own accord, his eyes open to the light streaming through a window.

The first thing he sees, to his confusion, is Sasuke's face.  Apparently, as he stares with sleepy curiosity, Sasuke has fallen asleep kneeling next to his bed with his cheek pillowed on his arms.  His breathing is slow, his face smooth and covered by the wild uncombed strands of fine black hair.

Naruto feels his mouth twitch.  The last thing he remembers, as his mind flits randomly to thoughts of the boy and other memories, is Sasuke.  Sasuke looking down at him, asking him something.  A worried Sasuke.  Naruto frowns a tiny bit and blinks slowly.

Hadn't something…happened?

But it's early, and Naruto is less than coherent in his thoughts when he's waking.  All he can focus on, understandably, is the dull pressure of his bladder.

He mumbles something and pushes towards the edge of the bed, carefully skirting the sleeping Sasuke—which surprises him because Sasuke rarely sleeps so deeply—and leaves the warmth of the bed.  He stands wobbly, rubbing his eyes, and stumbles towards the door.  He is dressed in a clean pair of blue pajamas that obviously didn't belong to him, but he doesn't notice this until he locates the bathroom.

The blond frowns as his mind clears slightly because the floor is icy and old habits keep him at least _aware of where he's aiming, and rubs a finger against the hem of his blue shirt.  He doesn't remember changing into this; and his skin is lightly scented with some soapy smell. Did he take a bath before bed?  He can't place it, and doesn't try._

Naruto passes it off with indifference, shakes, and pulls up the waistline.  He turns, yawning, to wash his hands at the sink and splash his face.  Even the cold water does little to wake him further—it would take a good hour and a hot bowl of ramen to wake him up.  

Naruto looks into the mirror out of habit as he reaches for the towel to his right, and suddenly stops.

_What happened…to my face? is his first coherent thought.  His eyes—same shade as the sky—widen until he can see the whites around the iris.  His face is wet and dripping, his hair damp at the edges and mussed, flat on one side from the pillow; there are sleep-marks on his cheek—_

_But they aren't the marks he's looking for—_

Naruto makes a strangled sound, and gently touches his cheek.  It's like staring into a stranger wearing his face; slight differences in the bone structure and the lack of the triple scars—

Naruto tries to suck in a breath and fails. He remembers, as he stands there frozen, what happened.

And then he screams, hands over his face and backpedaling until his back hits the wall.  He slides down with a shudder and fights back tears, ashamed at his screaming and frightened at his own face—

Sasuke bursts into the small bathroom, wild-eyed and kunai in hand.  "_Naruto—" is all he can seem to say at first and stares at him.  "What—what's wrong?"_

Horribly startled, Naruto wants to yell at him for barging into the bathroom like that, for being such a _weirdo, but then he remembers that Sasuke had been there when the people had started throwing things him and wipes at his eyes.  "I…" he clears his throat.  "I saw…" he gestures towards the mirror and the still-running faucet.  "My face," he finishes lamely. "It's…wrong."_

It seems that his words trigger the pause of Sasuke's attack mode.  Naruto watches with tiny glances as Sasuke rubs at his face and sets the kunai on the edge of the sink.  Then he yawns—which makes Naruto cover his mouth in a yawn of his own—and lowers himself to the tile across from him.  Ebon eyes that still look blurry with sleep examine him and Naruto ducks his head.

"Do you remember what happened?" Sasuke asks.  "Yesterday, I mean."

Naruto nods slowly. A part of him is puzzled by the way Sasuke's acting—it doesn't seem normal, but then, nothing can be normal today.  But this is _Sasuke—_

"Are you…" Sasuke clears his throat.  "Are you okay?"

The blond shrugs and keeps his eyes on the floor just in front of him; he can see Sasuke's feet, narrow and pale like the rest of him and his hands as they rub thumb to finger nervously.  Interesting.  He never knew Sasuke had a nervous quirk.

"Tsunade was going to talk to you about this," Sasuke says after the silence thickens.  "But…she told me to stay and keep an eye on you or something…"

"…what did they do to me?" Naruto breathes in a tiny voice.  "Those men.  What did they do?"

_Where's the other one? he wants to ask but fears the answer._

Unconsciously, Sasuke straightens, his eyes flickering as his face smoothes.  Naruto can tell by that motion alone that the boy is filtering through his memory so he darts his eyes to Sasuke's face.

"The Hokage said they used a forbidden jutsu on you for practice and it split you into two people, instead of splitting your mind up," Sasuke sums it up quickly.

"Oh…" Naruto pushes his cheek against his shoulder, mind working slowly. "So…why do I look like this?"

Sasuke glances down at his hands and frowns.  "It's…the person you would have been, if things were different for you." A pause while Sasuke searches for the words.  "If you didn't have the seal."

Naruto is silent for a long time as his mind works this over, relief and shame at the thought _He knows about the demon fox, sliding it into the jumbled mess he's got to sort out from the last few days.  "If I didn't have the seal?" he repeats slowly. _

_I'm…not…_

His blue eyes widen.  "What—what about—"

"There are two of you now.  The demon has one body, and you have the other but the he can't do anything because the seal is still whole—he's just got a body to use.  That's all."

_He's out, Naruto thinks.  __He's not inside me._

But he can't decide if that's a good thing or not…

Sasuke seems desperate to convince him that things are okay, watching him with his customary blank mask; his eyes blaze in worry. For a moment Naruto wants to think he's joking.  That it's just some prank that Sasuke could never think of, but at the same time he feels the ache inside of him.  The strangeness and the not-him.  

And if he tries really hard, he can sense exactly where the other…half…of him is.

"Can…they fix me?" Naruto asks.

Sasuke bites his lip and looks away. "…I don't know."

~@~

Fifteen minutes pass before Sasuke can convince Naruto to get up and leave the bathroom with him for breakfast; it's his private thought that the only reason Naruto agreed at all was because Sasuke gave his word to cook a real breakfast.

His second thought is that he's glad that he shut the bedroom door in his wild instinctive passing—Although Naruto is quiet and relatively calm, he doesn't know what would happen if the blond looked inside and saw himself—what looked like himself—still curled up on the bed.

If he knew that he had been curled up next to the creature…

"Sasuke?" Naruto says, peering back over his shoulder.

"I'll be right there, I'm going to put this away," he tells him and waves the kunai lazily.

Naruto nods.  "Okay." He gives Sasuke a hesitant look before he disappears down the corner of the hallway.

Sasuke watches him, thinking to himself that it feels disturbing to have Naruto mildly agree to half of his statements, that he'd rather have contradictions and the wild spirit.  _Naruto is the least of your worries, _Sasuke thinks and makes a face to himself as he pushes open the door.

"Oiy," he says quietly while a part of him winces in the disbelief that he can talk so calmly to a demon. "I'm making breakfast.  Are you going to join us?"

Kyubi cracks open one red eye and glares at him without answering.  Then the eye closes and Sasuke watches him twist around until he's curled tight like a cat with the intention of sleeping.

_How much of Naruto was Naruto? Sasuke has to wonder.  He sighs and tosses the kunai to the small pile of containers, his things, and closes the door again. _

When he makes his way to the kitchen, Naruto is already seated at the table with his head on his arms.  Sasuke enters rubbing the back of his neck, hating the cold floor, and starts looking through the cupboards.

"Whose place is this?" Naruto asks absently. 

"The Hokage rented out a house—I guess she plans to have us all here with some sense of privacy, instead of an apartment." Sasuke finds the cupboard housing the pots and pulls out the largest he can find.  A hunt through the shelves in the small pantry offers up a box of instant rice while the small fridge has a set of eggs. Sasuke isn't particularly fond of instant, but there's little to choose from.  

As he fills the pot with water, he says quietly, "I don't think anyone's supposed to know what _really happened, and it's safer if you're in a different place…"  _

"Yeah, that makes sense," Naruto says. 

_I'm cooking for him, Sasuke thinks to himself, mind occupied with insignificant things like not turning around and wondering if the milk is sour and if Naruto likes bean paste—  __It's…weird._

_And what about…that?_

Sasuke doesn't know what to do about the demon.  He sets the pot onto the stove to boil, and measures out the rice, occupying his hands to try and clear his mind, if possible.

But flickering red eyes won't leave his thoughts, and a low raspy voice, Naruto's voice with malice and hate won't leave his memory.

"Naruto?" he says after the water boils and the small pan is heating up.

"Yeah?"

"You know _he's here too, right?" Sasuke winces at the sound of his voice so hushed and fearful.  He cracks open the two eggs and whisks them around briskly._

"…yeah," Naruto whispers, voice muffled as if he finally hid his face behind his arms.  "I know."

Sasuke dumps in the rice and stirs it slowly, watching it devoutly to keep himself from turning around and revealing his useless fear.  "What…what do we do? About him…is he going to…I mean, is he safe?  Do _you_ think he's safe?"

_Because—because I—_

"I don't know," Naruto says simply. "He feels…strange.  I don't think he likes this either, but…" the blond doesn't have to say the concern that lines his voice.  _But I don't know what he'll do._

Sasuke deftly scoops portions of the rice into two small bowls, using a spoon for the scrambled eggs to cover the rice.  Then he turns and sets one down for Naruto, and sits himself down in the next seat.  For a while there's nothing but the sound of their chopsticks clinking on the bowls, and the soft chewing sounds.  Not even the usual sounds of the village around them invade the kitchen.

For a moment Sasuke feels ethereal, as if he was witness to a dream that wouldn't remember in the morning.  He pauses with his chopsticks half-way to his mouth, struck with a sudden thought.

_What if he doesn't want to go back?_

Sasuke places his utensils across his nearly empty bowl and frowns.  _That doesn't matter, he thinks.  _He can't—__

"Aren't you hungry?" Naruto asks around a mouthful.

Sasuke shakes his head, feeling slightly sick on more levels than the physical, and pushes his bowl away. "I'm full," he responds calmly.  He can see with a glance that Naruto's own dish is nearly spotless.

_He can't, the words echo hollowly in his mind as he rises from the table to stand at the window, staring out._ The Hokage said he **can't** survive like this…__

_So what do we do if he doesn't want to go back to the way things were?_

Naruto flinches without warning in the corner of his eye, breaking his thoughts.  With a fleeting look Sasuke frowns automatically and watches the blond duck his head to push his chopsticks around, toying with them. 

The next thing Sasuke sees is yawning Naruto in black pajamas—_Kyubi_! his mind reminds him—shuffle around the table and into his line of sight. Sasuke darts an uncomfortable glance at Naruto—who's watching the half-conscious demon with wide eyes.

"Thought you weren't getting up this early," Sasuke hears himself say with apparent irritation.  _Stop talking to him! _his mind yells.  _He's dangerous!_

Kyubi slumps into a chair and sprawls across the table. "Mugh." he says.  "Hungry. Stupid kit."

Naruto glowers at him over the edge of the table. "Sasuke's not stupid.  Stop saying stuff like that."

"Is too," Kyubi mumbles, opening his crimson eyes to glare blearily at Sasuke.  "Feed me before I eat you, stupid one."

Naruto says a quiet "Is not," and sticks out his tongue when the fox props his head onto his arms.

"Fo~od," Kyubi repeats to the table.

Sasuke sighs with a wondering thought if it's going to be as strange as this every day.  He scowls to himself and turns away from the window.  He grabs a clean bowl and dishes out a heaping pile of rice, then slaps the remainder of the eggs on top.  They wobble dangerously as Sasuke sets the bowl down on the table.

Kyubi opens his eyes. "Your presentation sucks," the demon says straight-faced and sly.

"Too bad," Sasuke responds coolly.  "It's all you're gonna get."

"Bastard…" Kyubi mutters, the rest of his words too quiet to hear.

Naruto sucks on his chopsticks absently as he watches the demon, his physical twin in all appearances.  He looks far more aware of the world than the demon and bounces the wooden utensils with his tongue.  "No, you can't _bite him," Naruto says reproachfully.  "You should behave."_

"Fuck the behave," the demon growls at his bowl and tentatively samples the eggs.  "Behaving isn't any fun."

_They're like children, Sasuke thinks incredulous.  _Foul-mouthed and hyperactive fifteen year old children that have the ability to kick major ass.  __

Sasuke knows, in that moment—with Kyubi flicking eggs at Naruto and smirking—that this will be the weirdest thing that's ever happened to him.  But unable to do anything about it, he deflects a stray shot of rice and wonders, not for the first time, what the hell he's getting himself into.

~@~

The moonlight wakes him like an unheard chime of music brushing against his face.  Naruto stirs, turning his face towards the window, towards Kyubi curled between him and the wall.

It is not surprising to find the half-open red gaze upon him in the darkness.

"…problems?" Kyubi says too low for anyone to hear.

Naruto knows Sasuke is in the room, and while the thought comforts him, it's restricting him as well.  He curls up on his side facing the demon with his face, pulling close to peer in the half-moonlight, half-darkness.  "Kyubi…" he breathes.  "Do you hate me? Because of the seal?"

Kyubi's face is relaxed and open, a contemplative curiosity that allows this questioning of his inner thoughts.  "Perhaps," he replies with a small smirk.  "But not really."

"…so what do we do about this?" Naruto stretches out a hand and carefully presses it against the other's chest in something like a caress.  It's strange to feel a heart thumping slowly under his fingertips, like reaching through a mirror.  Kyubi allows the touch and merely shrugs.

"Nothing," the demon replies after a moment.  "I like it like this.  For a little while," he amends carefully as Naruto's face darkens.  "It's dangerous like this…"

"I know," Naruto says as his eyes flicker away from the face.  "Do you think we can get fixed?"

"Perhaps.  In my years, kit, I've never heard of this happening.  I don't understand it. I like it, because I—" the other pauses, and his tone takes on a tinge of warning. "It's been a long time since I could move freely.  Do you understand, kit?"

Naruto nods. "And what about Sasuke?  You won't hurt him?"

"Not unless he wants to be hurt."

"Kyubi," Naruto whines, frowning. "You can't!  The Hokage said you can't hurt anyone, remember?" A wry smile flits across his mirror image, and Naruto shivers at the strange excitement.  

"I would protect you, kit," the demon growls faintly, almost hissing his words. "Because I have no choice!  _ I do nothing I don't choose to do, and that includes following that bitch's rule about harming the people of this village."_

"You don't make sense," Naruto sticks his tongue out.  "I don't know if I can trust you."

"You can't," the Kyubi replies in all seriousness. "I'm a fickle creature. Go back to sleep."

"Are you gonna behave?" 

"Sure, whatever." Kyubi mutters and closes his eyes.  

Naruto watches him for a moment, convinced that the half-promise would have to do, and rolls onto his back.  He turns his head to glance at Sasuke sleeping on a pallet near the door, his face milky and smooth in the night.  He smiles without realizing it, switching onto his opposite side to face the door, and scoots back.  It's easy to ignore the half-growl from the demon when an arm curls around his waist and a forehead bumps into his shoulder.

"Goodnight," Naruto murmurs without expecting a reply.

~@~

Two days after the first breakfast together—after Sasuke spent a good three hours hunting down all the fragmented eggs and scrubbing—the doorbell rings and the demon is the first to the door.

"Good morning!" he chirps, smiling widely as he opens the door.  It is not, in fact, morning, but late afternoon.  The sight of him is disturbing; white teeth and gleeful crimson eyes—and covered in dust.

Tsunade manages a small smile in response, but she doesn't get a chance to speak.

"Kyubi!" Naruto yells from somewhere. "Get back here and fix the bed!"

An arm pushes Kyubi out of the way of the door; Sasuke comes into view.  "Get going," he says in a monotone.  "You broke it, go fix it."

"Dammit!"

The demon scowls and stalks off, leaving Sasuke facing the Hokage with a strange expression of relief on his face.  "Hokage-sama," he says respectfully.

"Sasuke-kun.  How are things?" she steps inside and follows Sasuke to the small living room.  "Have there been any problems?"

"Not really," Sasuke replies.  "Naruto's not as loud as he used to be, and the fox likes to pull pranks—switched my toothpaste with mashed rice yesterday—but he and Naruto seem to get along as well as any other siblings.  It's…creepy."

Tsunade nods. "That's good to hear; I thought they might have a problem coping with each other with Kyubi being bound and all."

"He does, and he doesn't.  He has his moments," Sasuke says with a small smile.  

"_I heard that!" Kyubi yells from the back.  "__Stop talking shit about me, Sasuke!"_

"Oh?" The Hokage murmurs as if nothing had happened and seats herself on the plain couch.  She looks uncomfortable, but Sasuke isn't sure of the reason.  The woman hides her thoughts too well.

"He's loud and rude and cruel," Sasuke states after a moment of thought, sounding almost surprised.  "But he's…insanely protective of Naruto. It's something I don't…understand."

There's a sudden thump and a strange creaking sound as the Hokage blinks over his head, and Sasuke twists to see Kyubi dragging the cracked wooden bedframe down the hall.  

_Oh good lord._

The red-eyed boy glares at Sasuke as he passes. "I _told_ you, stupid, if he's hurt, I'm hurt and that's all!  I could care less about that little shit."

Sasuke turns back to the Hokage without answering the other, who doesn't seem to care either way and disappears with the bedframe.  Sasuke shrugs at the Hokage.  "He was bouncing on the bed," he says before she can ask.

The corner of her mouth twitches.  "Is that so?"

"I can see why people refuse to have children," Sasuke says blandly. He smiles faintly and decides to state his point. "What would you like to discuss today, Hokage-sama?"

"You know that few people realize the truth of it, right?" she begins. "Most of the village knows of the two men that attacked Naruto—and they believe that something went wrong with his Kage-bunshin.  I've gotten…" she pauses, smirking the tiniest bit before she finishes her sentence.  "There's a group of people who are determined to seek you out and make sure you're alive."  A pause.  "Mostly women."

Sasuke refrains mightily from twitching.  "You haven't…told them, have you?"

"No…why?"

"Because Kyubi seems to be territorial with certain things.  I haven't figured out everything, yet…" Sasuke shrugs uncomfortably.  "Mostly it's where he's going to sleep and what food he decides is his…but I'm not sure if I want a bunch of girls flocking over…"

"Girls?" a surprised voice asks.  Naruto pokes his head around the corner. "What girls?  Oh, hey Tsunade-san! When did you get here?" He bounces out, dragging a rumpled blanket and a pillow.

"Just now," the woman smiles more sincerely, something in her expression softening at the sight of Naruto.  Sasuke doesn't know what makes her see Naruto in such a special way; what makes her so _motherly_, and he doesn't bother to ask because it seems too personal. "How've you been, Naruto?"

"I've been worse," he speaks honestly.  "It's still…weird."

"He hasn't given you any problems?"

A funny smile flits across Naruto's face. "No…we've come to an agreement of sorts."

_What? What kind of agreement? Sasuke thinks, puzzled.  He raises a brow at Naruto as the Hokage speaks._

"That's good," she says simply.  "Come and sit down; let me look at you."

Naruto does as she asks after piling the blanket and pillow into the corner and bounces down upon the couch next to her. "Okay!"  

Sasuke fidgets the smallest bit, scrunching his shoulders to get comfortable, and watches the woman turn over thin wrists and examine the hands. Her thumbs are on Naruto's pulse-points, and he can sense twinges of chakra as she works.  Naruto glances at him over her shoulder, and his mouth curves in a tiny smile.

"What are you looking for?" the blond asks as she turns his head to look into his ears one by one.

"Mmm, just checking your chakra and your body's health," she answers absently. "Open your mouth—"  

After she moves her attention to somewhere else—fingertips over his heart—Naruto asks, "Are you gonna examine Kyubi too?"

"Don't need to; his kind maintain good health.  That's why you're not healing as fast as you did before.  You need to wash behind your ears, too.  Otherwise," she ruffles his hair playfully. "You're looking fine so far."

"Great!" Naruto beams at her with the strange innocence only children can attain.  

She smiles back with more of that pain in her eyes and pushes him away. "Go on, go find something to do."

"Yeah—gotta make the bed!" he exclaims and darts off, pausing only to gather the discarded blanket and pillow.

Sasuke watches him leave with a faint sense of relief and discards the emotion as foolish. He turns to the Hokage, who's watching _him_, and raises a brow.  Instead of questioning her, he asks something that nags him at uncommon times.  "Is it possible to fix him, Hokage-sama?"

"It…it should be," she amends.  "But we have to find the means; the jutsu was made by a clan long dead to our history.  They kept it a secret for centuries, like the way the Uchiha clan kept the sharingan.  Sasuke…have _you_ had problems in my instructions?"

Sasuke hates the fact that she seems to strike at the heart without even trying. "No," he says.  "I have had no problem."

_Except for the fact that I can't look at the demon without shivering, and he watches me with a funny look sometimes, and I'm **totally creeping out over all of this—**_

"Good.  I'll be going now.  Keep me informed," she says, and before Sasuke can respond, she vanishes.

_What a strange woman. Sasuke rubs at his eyes. __Oh well. It's almost lunchtime._

The house is relatively quiet as Sasuke stands.  He doesn't know where the demon is, but considering the behavior over the last few days, he doesn't think that the location would be a problem.  Sasuke pushes open the door and steps through—

—and has a moment to regret not knowing the whereabouts of Kyubi as an arm takes him by the back of the jacket—_so strong—and yanks him back.  Sasuke gasps as a hand with sharp nails pats his neck_

"Don't _you smell nice," Kyubi purrs in his ear.  "When's lunch?"_

_Dammit, Sasuke thinks.  He has to clear his throat several times before he can speak. "I would make some if you'd let me go."_

"Hmm…" the amusement in the low voice is a dark color, but Kyubi only scratches at him lightly. "Can we have chicken today?"

Sasuke shudders at the sensation of warm breath on his neck, the scent of wood and dust and a hint of sweat—as well as the musk that he's come to associate with the demon. "Let go," he says more forcefully, and wonders if he'll have time to shift his arm for a weapon before the demon kills him—

"You're not any fun," the demon makes a small sound of disappointment, and as his grips loosens, Sasuke pulls away with a jerk and a rough exhalation.

He turns to see the smile on the face of Naruto, a demon's smile with sharp teeth and mocking red eyes and a cunning.  Anticipation.  Sasuke forces himself into a calm he doesn't feel, and merely adjusts his clothing.  

_Don't show any fear. No fear and he won't do anything—_

Kyubi's smile grows wider, as if the expressions on Sasuke's face give away everything he thinks, and tilts his head.

_No, Sasuke thinks a moment later. __I can't assume he'll do anything I expect. He's testing me.  I know he is._

"Well," the demon says smoothly, still eying him with that funny look. "You can't cook me food if you just stare at me all day."

Sasuke narrows his eyes into a glare, pivots and stalks to the fridge.  He misses the look the fox slides over him, the way his hands twitch and an expression other than hunger flits across his face.

By the time Sasuke turns around with a package of frozen chicken and some vegetables, Kyubi is gone.

~TBC~

There.  Is Kyubi unpredictable enough?  ^_^  he's not really that…Naruto-ish, really, but that'll be clear later on.  Naruto is more or less himself, but with a few moody dispositions.  Sasuke is…Sasuke. ^^;;  There's not much to explain this chapter, just that Kyubi's ulterior motive vs Sasuke's motive.  It's…fun. *wink*


	3. three

**~Warning/Disclaimer~**

Naruto and the characters don't belong to me; they belong to Kishimoto. *sigh* I want a demon fox. ^_^ anyhoo—started a new fic that spawned on me one morning. It's a welcome change to the other Naruto fic and will help me keep focus. 

**Rated R** for dark themes, future…situations and the usual yaoi-ness. ^_^

Side note – this takes place after the Chuunin exam, but Sasuke never leaves for Orochimaru, and the two never fight (but they know their skills), and Kakashi still trains the three of them. and occasionally Jiraiya.

Think age 15!! If you've got questions, I'll try to answer them as best as possible. 

Enjoy!

**Division**

~**three**~

The morning begins differently for Sasuke, who's used to waking slowly and alone and as normally as a fifteen year old shinobi can wake.  He's not used to sleeping in a room with other people; it's been too long and he finds it hard to fall asleep.

But on the eighth day of his 'babysitting' job, Sasuke wakes to the unusual sensation of warmth, of _bodies_, and cracks open his eyes a fraction. He chooses to sleep on the floor for convenience (and to cover the discomfort of sleeping with _other_ people) The floor hasn't changed—

—but a deeply asleep Naruto is curled up with hands curled near his face. Against him. They brush against Sasuke's chest. Closer than expected.  Sasuke peers at him for a moment through his dark lashes, confused, musing at how young Naruto seems while he sleeps, how innocent and helpless and _normal_.  Then he thinks how utterly _freaked_ he's going to feel when he wakes up completely, because he's got to admit this is weird, because…

_Naruto's there…so where is…?_

Sasuke opens both eyes in surprise and gut-clenching shock, tries to inhale but he can't move. He doesn't _dare_ move because there's another body pressed up against his back, knees and legs curving to match his own and the nudge of a forehead into his shoulders.

_…what?_

Kyubi stirs behind him with a strange sound. Sasuke tenses when he hears it, thinking of it as a growl, as a threat even as the head nudges against him slowly. The sound vibrates through him and he can't help the tiny shudder that jerks through him.

_What the fuck?_ his inner voice is shrill. _What is that?! What kind of sound is that? Humans can't make that sound!_

Sasuke stares through the sleeping face of Naruto, thought-flashing of the differences and how they look so _similar_ and nothing could be like the demon, _knowing _it was the demon against his back and cuddling him or something—he doesn't like it, tells himself that he doesn't like it one bit because to the fox it's just a game to mess with people's heads.  But it's the fox.  The demon.  Purring.  So he doesn't move, and tries hard to keep the small instinctive tremors away, tries to keep calm and relax.

There's got to be a good reason they migrated to where he was sleeping in the middle of the night, right? There's got to be _some _reason they would do that—

_He's right there!_ _Right there! _ he thinks, and the sound Kyubi makes is soft and barely audible but he can feel it all the way to his bones.  Sasuke can also feel his heart slamming against his ribs.  _Is he awake? Is he doing this on purpose?_

And a tongue scrapes warmly over the skin on his neck and Sasuke flinches with a squeak.  Instinct and fright lend him speed—he almost knocks himself out when he flings himself at the wall, pivoting like a startled creature to stare at the demon who licked his neck.  Licked his neck.

His _neck._

His mind is incoherent gibbering as he crouches with his back to the wall and just _stares_, watching as Kyubi's form shifts to the absence of his body.  _Awake? Awake? Not awake? _Then the demon's arm reaches out and hooks the material of Naruto's pajamas and pulls the boy closer, but Naruto doesn't wake—or if he does, he doesn't seem to mind wrapping himself in the demon's embrace.

_They were so fucking close!_ Sasuke thinks with his skin all goosebumpy and the hair standing on end. _So close!_

_What the fuck?_ he thinks and slides down the wall and pulls his knees to his chest, trying to keep his heart inside and his emotions gone and just stares.  If anything happens, if the demon moves or tries to…to…whatever…he'll be able to do something.

Even if it's just running away, even if the mere thought of running sends his spine crawling and burning tight…

Because there's no way that ever happened.

~@~

Naruto isn't used to waking up on the floor, except for when he falls out of bed, but that hasn't happened in a while.  So when he finds himself loosely draped around a demon-boy-thing that still purrs in the back of his throat, on the _floor_ where he definitely remembered not falling asleep, he's confused.

It's understandable.  He can sense a bit of Kyubi's sleepy amusement and turns his head to look around.

_Isn't this where Sasuke sleeps?  How'd we get over here? **Why** are we over here?_

By the way the light enters the room Naruto can tell that it's mid-morning, and a moment of concentration tells him that Sasuke is around but not _near_ them.  Probably in the kitchen.

Which meant he had to have woken up with Naruto…and Kyubi…

Yawning, Naruto sits up and pushes away the heavy arm and rolls Kyubi onto his back.  "Hey.  Wake up.  Why are we on the floor?"

"Mgh…don' care."  Kyubi snuggles up to his leg with a throaty trill. "Was warm."

"Are you trying to freak Sasuke out? He's not the touchy-feely type, you know." Naruto waits for a moment then comments blandly, "You're an asshole."

The demon doesn't answer, but the blond can feel the grin against his leg.

"He's too serious for your games," Naruto whispers in case Sasuke wanders by.  "I mean it.  He's got…issues, or something."

"_You're_ an issue.  He has no sense of fun.  Wanna bite him.  Bite….mmm…." Kyubi yawns.  

"Well, whatever.  Just be nice."  Naruto pulls away and stands, avoiding the demon's automatic grab for his foot.  He heads for the door, intent on the bathroom and then an early breakfast.

"I don't do nice," Kyubi calls after him.  "I've got a reputation.  Nice just doesn't work for me."  

~@~

By late afternoon Sasuke found himself in a severe funk.  The strain of keeping tabs on the demon—who decided to spend most of the day outside doing whatever—and dealing with Naruto who wasn't Naruto but _was_—

But it didn't help matters to have Kyubi unexpectedly appear in his flashing red chakra, scowling, and throw him through a door and a window and cracking two walls.  For no reason.

No, that wasn't true.  Sasuke knew there was a reason—he knew that he needed to keep better control over his temper on his bad-mood days, because yelling at Naruto for scratching the linoleum in the kitchen with his kunai wasn't the best way to deal with the situation.

Neither was yelling at him for being too loud.  Or just because it was familiar to scowl and ignore the blond and insult him—

—and provide the demon with enough incentive over Naruto's wide-eyed gaze to scare him half-to-death—all without a scratch or damage to Sasuke, merely proving that the demon enjoyed his little shows of strength and sheer power. That Kyubi apparently didn't care about anything but preserving the health of the sealed blond. 

Or that Sasuke really needed to work on his communication skills.

_It's only been eight days_, his mind scorns him.  _Eight days.  You can't handle that? Gonna go crying home to the Hokage because you lost your temper and can't handle a demon?_

So by the time that an early supper would have been started, Naruto decided out of the blue that he wanted ramen.  Sasuke refused to make it, and did it while speaking politely, but the blond wouldn't hear of it.

So now they were headed out to the village, bad tempers and food cravings alike, but Sasuke pushes that thought away.  It would be the first day that Naruto would be among those people again, and he doesn't know if Naruto can handle that. He considers Naruto as a fragile type right now, although he doesn't dare speak that thought aloud.

Sasuke doesn't know if Naruto is nervous—in all respects the blond is acting almost like his loud annoying self.  Which would be good, but it's possible that it's a mask of its own and since he doesn't know for sure, he has no clue on how to bring the subject up.

Sasuke endures the excited ramblings with an absent and customary scan for the elusive red chakra.

"I wonder what the special is—maybe it's miso! I hope it's miso—do you like that kind, Sasuke?" 

_He's still outside,_ the search tells him as he pulls on a long-sleeved jacket over his teeshirt and jeans. Sasuke sends off a fervent 'thank you' to the gods that kept Kyubi outside in the yard for most of the day, glances up at Naruto and shrugs out an answer.

"Come on, we're gonna miss out!" Naruto tugs briefly at his sleeve.

Pulling away, Sasuke crouches and slips on his footwear. "Where's the fox? Isn't he going to come with us?"

_Why are you **asking**_**?** he thinks, horrified.  _You don't want_ _him **around**, do you?_

"He said he doesn't like people.  Didn't wanna come.  Let's go, Sasuke!"

Odd.  Sasuke lets a flash of frowning curiosity run across his face. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah—he wants to…" Naruto pauses and 'hmms' with a finger against his lips.  "Wants to stay outside. Or something.  Come on, let's go!"

"Alright, alright.  Calm down," Sasuke scowls and shoves his hands into his pockets, and decides that while the Kyubi's mindgames can be a foolish thing to lose track of, his whereabouts were unimportant.  Sasuke tells himself that he doesn't care; the fox can take care of himself.

Especially if he was gonna be twisted about it.  Very twisted.  So Sasuke doesn't care one damn bit.

_Baka,_ the thought glides into his conscious, his fingers rubbing at the back of his neck.  _You're asking for it…_

~@~

People stare at them; Sasuke can feel it.  Half the time it isn't unusual, Sasuke is used to getting funny looks because of his past, his potential and attitude of 'loner.'  Because he's smart and too pretty.   He was also used to having Naruto draw looks like daggers and silent curses, used to having the boy shed them like rainwater and go on ignoring the world.

But this…

This is different and Sasuke doesn't like to dwell too deeply on the meanings.

Like how a woman ushered three children away before they had finished their meals and visibly adjusted the weapons hidden under her sash.  How a man sitting across the street with a gray bottle of sake merely watches them with eyes narrow and bloodshot; even now the promise of violence glimmers in that dark gaze, and the man hasn't moved.  Sasuke doesn't look at him twice, but the movements of his arms give a clue to the hidden kunai the man is running his fingers up and down.

Even the owner of the Ichiraku watches them nervously, despite the welcoming smile he has for Naruto.

If the other was here…

Sasuke doesn't like thinking of how _clever_ the fox is.  How smart he is, how inhumanly and how _cunning_ the creature is.  He knows that to have the red-eyed demon join them tonight, with things as unstable as they are, would be bad.  It didn't matter he had a human appearance.  It would draw more than just stares, even if he was sitting with the Uchiha heir, or the smaller blond.  The people seemed to _know_ these things.

A part of Sasuke wonders if it's because he's a demon that he watches and thinks ahead.  That everything is a potential tool and trap, that words are just a game.  That they must seem so slow and stupid to the fox.

Sasuke glances at Naruto as the blond picks at his food carefully, glad that one thing hasn't seemed to change…even if there's a wide difference between the old Naruto and this one.

~@~

The moonlight feels wonderfully cold against his super-heated skin, washing over him with heavy sweetness.  He digs his feet against the earth and breathes deeply of the night-scented air.  His eyes shine crimson in the shadows, his face upturned to the moon.

The mouth moves against the air. "…damn you," Kyubi whispers fondly to the moon.  "Too long.  No time."

He's careful to make sure Naruto can't skim too deeply into the inhuman urges of his soul-part, the natural feelings of the human body while he revels in the wash of light; he knows there are moments where it slips through, when his guard slips—but he also knows that Naruto is innocent.  Human.  Young.

_…edible_…his mind thrills and flashes to the pale skin and dark eyes of the kit's companion.  Sasuke.  He didn't question _why_ Sasuke was kept near; the human provided some measure of comfort even to him, but for his human-half, Naruto…Sasuke was a safeguard.  Hokage's gift, of sorts.  A control.

Humans had such strange rituals.

_They don't know.  They never know._

His teeth bare themselves in something like a smile.  Another inhale and the demon swallows the throaty sound that rises through his chest.  _Patience.__  Patience and possible—no.  Maybe.  Too human, too cold.  Already chosen._

_But he's me, and we.  We. It should be we.  Me.  I?  Us?  I want.  want-want-want.  Me and we and **him**._

_Him.___

He knows the moon is calling him, pulling him beyond his control and wraps his mind carefully behind the wall of dark shadowy thoughts.  He doesn't like it, not as human as he is, but he doesn't care.  He hasn't felt it in years, hasn't been _able_ to hear the moon so clearly.  And there's a small stubborn part of him that settles in and digs thorns into his rising urges, cautions him and holds a tenacious leash on his conscious.

_…already chosen. not yours. not yours, not for us.  Forbidden._

Because he can't.  Because no one will be chosen, not for this, this simple physical lust.  Because there has to be counter-feeling and he isn't sure—he _thinks_ it might be there, but…he doesn't know.

Because it's not his choice.

The demon doesn't know how long he's stood in the moon-dappled darkness, under the sky and stars and cool night air—in the absence of his fine-tuned control.  He can't bring himself to care, as the moon rises further.

…because it's calling him.

…and he can't help following.

~@~

"Thank you for the ramen!" Naruto smiles at him after they leave the stand and slip through the shadows. Sasuke doesn't have to turn around to know that the people watch them with the bright hostile glare of fear, of hate.  He is still struck with the differences from past to present so he doesn't answer Naruto with words, just a brief nod.  _Not loud, not boisterous, just calm and happy and…_

_…and kinda cute_.  _Appealing_.

But he doesn't think things like that, he tells himself.  It's dark now, long past sunset.  The full moon has risen with silent beauty; the night is still and cool, with pinprick stars splashed across the sky.  Sasuke spares only a moment to acknowledge the beauty; they still had a distance to cover before they reached the isolated house and Sasuke feels strangely uneasy in the darkness.

He feels eyes upon him. 

Sasuke looks to Naruto to see if he feels the oddness in the air, but the blond is watching the moon through the leaves.  The patterned shadows slide across his upturned face and shoulders and Sasuke takes a moment to watch _him_—

—and sees the moment an awareness sparks in the eyes and he mimics the Naruto's slow stop.  The blond lowers his head with an expectant expression, curious and surprised.

Sasuke turns his head to follow the blue-black gaze and sees Kyubi has come to stand a few feet away, enveloped by shadows.  His face and skin reflects the light of the moon, his eyes are black.  The expression on his face is flat, as if he's watching something particularly uninteresting—

_He did come after all…_

—But his eyes, Sasuke thinks, are dark with something else and gives away the mask for what it was.  

"Where have you been?" he questions and flicks his eyes down the body to check for irregularities.  Blood—no, not blood.  Dirt? 

Kyubi's head lolls unexpectedly back as the male turns his face to the moon.  "Running. No killing, just running."

"Running? Running where? I thought you were gonna stay by the house." Naruto bounces on his toes, arms up behind his head and his voice too curious.  

"Mmmm," the demon breathes out and closes his eyes.  "Ran.  With the moon." (1) 

As Sasuke draws closer, he can smell the dirt smeared across his clothes and bare feet, the muddy smell mixing through the natural scent.  His mind flits to the words '_No killing, just running_,' and he shivers.  

"No killing," Sasuke repeats, and draws away to the side.  "What do you mean?"

The eyes gleam red for a fraction as they pause on him.  A lazy swirl of amusement, of alien and mocking thoughts skim just out of reach in those eyes.  Icy fingers brushed his skin as his instincts coiled.

"Sasuke," Kyubi sighs, the sight of his grin is strange in the moonlight.  "Are you going to run away?  You shouldn't run. I could just _devour_ you if you run…"

Sasuke flashes into a memory of a _tongue_ against his neck and he glares in defensive anger.  "Why would I run from _you_?" he sneers and hunches slightly. He can hear the sound of the bare feet against the earth, the grass and leaves, as Kyubi steps forward slowly, one foot at a time, can see Naruto glance at them with that bright surprise.  Sasuke has to dig fingernails into his palm to keep himself from stepping back because the red-eyed demon is getting way too close—

"Because you want to run.  I _want_ you to run," the fox whispers.  He leans in close, that terrible bared-teeth grin on his face.  "Run, Sasuke, run."

Sasuke catches a glimpse of Naruto's annoyed scowl from the corners of his eyes, and then he hears the blond speak.

"Knock it off, he doesn't want to play." 

_Play?_ _This is **play**_? Sasuke thinks, heart knocking towards his throat. _What does he mean, play?_

Kyubi doesn't pull his red-black stare from Sasuke's face, nor does he move a comfortable distance away. "I think he does," the demon murmurs, tilting his head in that curious fashion.

In an unexpected display of his temper, Naruto steps forward into Sasuke's line of vision, into Kyubi's vision with his brows drawn tight and his eyes set.  It's his stubborn look, his _old _look that gave the impression that whatever would happen he'd kick ass.

And he was giving that look to the demon, who was quite capable to destroying the both of them on a whim.

"I _said_ knock it off," Naruto said irritably, chin jutting forward and his hands on his hips. "Sasuke doesn't know that kind of stuff."

_What **kind** of stuff?_

"I could teach him," the demon purrs with a strange little huff.  A laugh, Sasuke realizes, as the body coils—he's going to spring or jump or push him or bite him or rip him apart—

_I don't know if I want to know—_

"No," Naruto says slowly.  "Not tonight.  Go back to the house."

The eyes flicker to Naruto for a brief second, giving Sasuke time for a lightheaded inhale while the demon isn't looking at him.

"_Fine_, stupid kit!" the demon snaps, chakra lashing around him—

—and then he's gone, and Sasuke shivers down the length of his spine, cold and clammy and hating the sense of confusion he can't seem to shake around the demon.  He glances towards Naruto. "What…?" he begins hesitantly.

The blue-black eyes avoid his gaze as Naruto stares in the direction of the house and finally speaks after a long pause.  "I'm sorry…He's gonna be moody for a while.  I think it's the moon…" he explains, shrugging as his eyes flicker towards Sasuke.

"The moon," Sasuke drawls.  "He's moody because of the _moon_?"

"He's _trying_ to behave—he just doesn't understand some things yet. He's trying," Naruto looks at him intently, worriedly.  "Are you freaked out?  Are…are you going to leave now?"

"No," Sasuke waits a second before his finds his voice.  "I'm supposed to help you, remember?  It's okay…I know he's not…like us." And it makes it easier to speak calmly because he knows that Naruto can't see the shudder ratcheting down his back. 

Naruto smiles at him, the expression childlike and innocent and heart-twisting warm and then it's even easier to ignore the tiny accusing voice that the Hokage's orders are the only thing that keeps him here.  Not the innocence of the blond Naruto, not the problem that stretched before them.  Just orders.

~@~

"Are you coming inside?"

For a long moment Sasuke waits for an answer from the shadowed figure seated on the last step.  It's late, almost midnight, and he knows that Naruto is already in bed.

A part of him is a crystal-thin murmur that without Naruto he's easy prey.  That the demon can finish whatever he was intending back on the path.  The moon is still out, still bright, and Sasuke knows that whatever 'mood' the blond demon feels is still effective.

It's the reason why Sasuke forced himself to open the door and call out to him.  There's the need to prove he's not frightened of that lurking darkness in the crimson eyes, that he's not afraid of the demon.  That he _is _afraid, but he can't help it and hates it all the same.

"Well?"

"You don't want me inside right now," the demon breathes.  He turns to look over his shoulder, and his face is devoid of emotion, devoid of humanity and no matter how hard Sasuke looks, he's not sure he'll find it.

"Because of the moon?" Sasuke raises a brow.  

"Yes.  Can you feel it, human?  Her call…bright threads in my mind…"

"Whatever.  Naruto's in bed and I'm going to sleep.  Don't be noisy if you come in later."  Sasuke pulls away to let the door shut, relieved that he _wasn't_ coming inside and just a tiny bit worried that he was going to stay outside.  

"Sasuke…" Kyubi murmurs too low for the other boy to as he moves out of sight. Then he grins slightly, to himself, and turns his face to the moon. For a second a brief glimpse of patience, of frustration, passes through his eyes.

Then it's gone, and the demon is content enough to merely watch the moon, conscious of Naruto's words, of his own lack of control, and stubbornly waits.  The dawn would bring another day and he would have an entire month to decide his course of action.

Or less, considering what he knew of the Hokage had said…

Either way, Kyubi wouldn't lose.  Not to this.

~TBC~

A/N ~ just a few things, here.  Near the middle, you might be confused by the mention of Kyubi throwing Sasuke around---well, Sasuke lost his temper, Naruto felt..upset? and Kyubi reacted.  Nothing more. I didn't want to go into a lengthy scene detailing all of this.  ^^;;

1: some of you might be familiar with Stephen King and Peter Straub (sp?) collab of "The Talisman."  That's the idea where running with the moon came from…*sigh* good book. lovely good book.

Lessee…um….i planned to have more in this chapter, but I'll be putting it in the next.  Might take a bit. I'm still in school, mind you, which means I can't drop everything to work on fiction.  Anyhoo—hope you enjoyed!  


	4. four

**~Warning/Disclaimer~**

Naruto and the characters don't belong to me; they belong to Kishimoto. Life wouldn't be as fun if I didn't…hehehe

**Rated R** for dark themes, future…situations and the usual yaoi-ness. ^_^

Side note – this takes place after the Chuunin exam, but Sasuke never leaves, and the two never fight, and Kakashi still trains the three of them. 

Think age 15!! If you've got questions, I'll try to answer them as best as possible. 

Enjoy!

**Division**

~**four**~

Sasuke had to chase Naruto and Kyubi from the house and the remains of the kitchen table with an uncharacteristic yell and a few thrown shuriken.  Kyubi had grinned that toothy dangerous smile and darted through the open window as the blond yelped and ran laughing out of the door.

Leaving Sasuke to clean up the fragmented table.  _At least it wasn't during breakfast_, he thought, tossing the larger pieces into the wastebasket.  The legs and portions that were too large to fit were thrown into the yard.  Sasuke yanks a broom from the small utility closet and starts to sweep up the splinters and dust.  

He can hear Naruto laughing in the background; but his thoughts focus on the demon.  How he looked in the moonlight, how he acted.  How he seemed so strange and how Naruto said he was moody.

_He's certainly edgy today.  He's been twitchy and snappish.  The moon isn't as full tonight, but would it have the same effect?_

_Is he going to pull that weird 'run away' thing again?_

Sasuke empties the dustpan into the garbage; another thing he'll have to take care of later on.  He turns to peer through the open window at the sound of Naruto's protesting yell.  

Demon and Human, nearly identical, tumble and roll across the lawn.  Even Sasuke has to admit to himself that the acrobatics are impressive; Naruto flows like water with small agile turns and twists, grinning and dancing away like the wind.

The demon's ability to jump high, spinning and landing like a cat; he's quick and instinctive in his movements. He's faster, so much faster, and Sasuke can only watch as Kyubi uses it to his advantage and runs circles around and above the other blond, playing an impromptu game of tag and wrestle.

_It looks fun_, Sasuke thinks quietly.  _Like brothers._

Sasuke turns away, and deliberately, closes the window.

~@~

"What was up with you last night?"

"Whrr?" Kyubi doesn't raise his head as Naruto flops onto the ground to catch his breath.

"You've been weird." Naruto peers at the other sprawled on his back, looking without touching.  "Kyubi? What's going on?"

"Don't worry about it," the demon muttered with a bored expression. "It's merely demon stuff."

Naruto raises a doubtful brow and plucks at the grass.  "But…"

"Just leave it. It'll pass."

There was silence for a long time as Naruto watches the demon with a speculative gaze.  The wind ruffles through the trees and whistles against the un-cut grass.  "Is it gonna get worse?"

Crimson eyes slide open in flaming brightness and Kyubi growls as he rolls and twists and pushes Naruto to the ground, baring his teeth as he crouches above him. "Why don't you shut up? You talk too damn much!"

"I'm worried—"

"Don't be. It's nothing." Kyubi narrows his eyes and moves until he's straddling the smaller, delicate blond. "Why do you keep _asking_?"

Naruto doesn't look unnerved in the least as the demon sits on his stomach, glaring at him.  "You feel funny," he admits after a second. "Inside.  You feel weird and I want to know.  Like you want to hunt or something."

Kyubi doesn't answer as he cocks his head and stares at Naruto. He bends until their foreheads bump.

"Hey," a frown flickers across Naruto's face.

"You feel it, huh? Or is it there already? Do you know what it is?"

The wariness doesn't leave Naruto's face; his breathing slows even as his eyes widen. After a moment he speaks, "I feel…hungry."

"Do you feel the moon, kit?" Kyubi made a purring noise and bumped his head in a rough caress.  "Do you feel her call?"

Naruto wets his lips and shivers.  "Kyubi?"

In response the red-eyed boy makes a strange sound and smiles slowly at him.  "Is this that hunger? The thing you feel?" He is close enough to brush his mouth over Naruto's cheek with each syllable but the blond doesn't seem unnerved. 

Naruto tilts his head to make eye contact. "Yes, but—"

Kyubi is backlit by the sunlight, his eyes dark and serious and flickering with amusement all at once as he levels his head over Naruto.  His hair and skin gleam in the sun; he is almost outlined by a halo of light.  "Because," Kyubi whispers. "It is demon business, this hunger. You've never felt it, never known it because I was spirit.  Now I've got a body. And I hunger."

"But—"

"I don't like waiting!" Kyubi hisses into his ear. "And I don't feel like courting that stupid human. I just want—my body, kit, it begs for this. Feel privileged you are witness to this truth, at least."

Stubbornly, Naruto pushed his face back into view. "Begs for what? What do you mean?" He has a rough idea of what the demon means. His hands are braced on Kyubi's forearms, fingers stroking skin while he dwells on the thought.  Kyubi, with his body, has a hunger.  Over Sasuke?

Body.  Hunger. 

Hunger.

Suddenly, the blue eyes widen. "Sex? Sex with Sasuke? Is that what it's about? the moon and fighting with him? Over _sex?_"

"_Yes_, you silly kit."  Kyubi makes a face and mock-bites at his shoulder. "Are you happy now? I was going to ignore it until it went away, or until we merge, but no. You _wanted_ to know.  Damn stubborn kit."

"I've never had sex," Naruto muses, a tinge of pink crawling over his face. "I never thought about it…"

"Oh? I've had lots of sex—" 

"But—with _Sasuke?_"

Kyubi grins at him. "Not—" 

Without warning his expression shifts to mild surprise and a sudden violence that crawls like oil over Naruto—Kyubi pulls his head up and away; his gaze focuses intently on the house.

"Get up," the demon growls. "We've got guests."

~@~

Sasuke is halfway across the living room with the trashcan in hand when he hears a knock on the door.  Sighing, he pivots and heads for the door. He pulls it open as he sets down the trashcan—

—and stares.

"Sasuke-kun!" the bright smile and long blond hair of Ino almost knock him down.  Despite standing behind the Hokage, she is the first thing Sasuke focuses on with a horrible thought _Oh fucking **no**._

"Uchiha," Tsunade greets him with a minor twitch. She doesn't seem happy to be on his front step with Ino—

_What the hell?_ Sasuke looks beyond to see Sakura standing a few steps behind Ino, looking understandably nervous. Beside her stands Iruka-sensei, watching expectantly and almost rudely, craning his neck to look around.

_He's here to see Naruto,_ Sasuke guesses, tuning out the Ino's happy babble. "Hokage-sama," he shoots a subtle glare at the woman (who smiles rather prettily in response) and intones "How nice to see you.  Enter at your own risk."

"Ah, Where is Naruto..and the other Naruto?" Tsunade raises a brow as Sasuke stands back to allow them inside, then shuts the door behind Iruka.

"Out back."

"They're doing well?" Iruka interrupts, smiling sheepishly. "I mean, I've heard of what happened, and the damage—I was worried, of course—"

"They're fine.  They just…eat too much," Sasuke admits.

"Big surprise," Ino whispers to Sakura. "Naruto will eat _anything_."

Scowling, Sasuke leads them to the living room and watches them sit.  Belatedly, his mind trying to cover for the change in routine, a part of him suddenly whispers _Stall! You need to stall!_ Sasuke clears his throat.  "Uh…Tea?" 

"Hey, Sasuke—_Iruka-sensei_!"

Sasuke turns his head to watch a blur of blue bounce into the room, deftly tumbling over the couch and wrapping arms around the middle of the startled Iruka.

"Aiii—you came to visit!!"

"N-Naruto?" Iruka smiles suddenly, resting a hand on tousled blond hair. "You look so much better—" he says, even as his eyes flicker when Naruto smiles up at him.

A weight settles against Sasuke's back; he knows what it is even as the hands press against his shoulders.  The demon's forehead bumps into the middle of his neck; he's standing behind Sasuke as if he's too shy to face the group in the room. Sasuke feels his body tense ever so slightly and glances towards the others.  

Sakura is the first to look up, going pale with hands rising to her throat. "That's…" she breathes.

"_Uzumaki_," Tsunade states calmly. "Glad to have you join us."

Naruto turns to glance at her, then towards Sasuke. A smile plays briefly upon his face, a curious look in his eyes that seems unfamiliar as his eyes flicker over Sasuke.  "Sit down already."

"Stupid kit," the demon mumbles too low for anyone but Sasuke to hear.

"Get going," he replies. "I don't care if you don't like it; be nice."

Kyubi slips by him, shooting him a glare with blue eyes—_blue? _Sasuke thinks, unnerved. _Henge__?_ _He used Henge to change his eye-color?_  Sasuke flickered a glance to the others. The demon, in all appearances a sullen angry-looking Naruto, slinks to the corner of the room where he can watch everyone present.

_They'll believe he's Naruto as well…_

"Oh my god, that's creepy!" Ino breathes, craning to stare rudely as 'Uzumaki' sat on the floor. "There's two of them!"

"Hey!" Naruto protests mildly, as Kyubi levels a stare with his flame-blue gaze and sneers. "It's not funny."

"Hokage-sama, if we could speak alone for a moment?" Sasuke interrupts.  He raises a brow and glances around.  "Naruto? Can you manage things for a moment?"

"Sure thing, Sasuke!" the blond smiles at Sasuke and Tsunade as she rises.  He hears a murmured question from Iruka as the woman follows him into the kitchen, and a last minute glance from blue eyes—_blue eyes_!—that send shivers down his spine.

~@~

"Uchiha?" Tsunade's voice is curious. "Has there been a problem?"

Sasuke busies himself with preparing enough tea for seven people and scrounging around for a snack or something he can serve along with the drink.  "Not really," he replies softly.  "Just…moods."

"There hasn't been any problems with their connection?"

"No," Sasuke wipes each teacup with a cloth. "Kyubi's been strange…lately.  Naruto said it's because of the moon…but…"

"I see," the woman pulls out a chair and sets herself down, tracing fingers along the wood.  "Has something happened?"

"I woke up one morning.  They had moved sometime during the night and were sleeping next to me…" Sasuke sets a cup down with a distinctive '_click_' and sighs. "It was unnerving." Without realizing it, his hands pause, and his gaze falls to the counter as if seeing something else and he shudders.  "He watches me…threatens me and never _does_ anything. He plays mindgames. He…does things."

Tsunade watches with a private amusement as a faint blush colors the pale cheeks.

"He _licked _me.  And the other night, yesterday, he…wanted to chase me around. Like he wants to attack me. Or something. I don't understand!"

Tsunade smiles against her will and wipes the expression from her face as Sasuke turns to face her, eyes uncertain.  It's hard to forget the boy is only fifteen, still young and untrained in some areas.  

It pains her to tell him that his mission, his _orders_, are more important than his uncertainty, his hesitation.  "I wonder," she muses quietly. "If you were needed because of Naruto…or the Kyubi…it's hard to tell…"

"What do you mean?" Sasuke whispers harshly. "I still don't understand—what am I needed for?"

"You stabilize Naruto, Sasuke. You are his balance, his counter-point.  He needs you to find himself."  

"But—"

"Your tea is ready.  I'll wait in the living room.  In time I'll explain further, but Sasuke-san…do as I've ordered, no matter what.  It's important.  You stabilize them both, it seems…"

Tsunade rises before Sasuke can work out an answer, before he can demand one, and exits the kitchen.  The door swings shut with a click as Sasuke tightens a fist around the hapless cloth, turning violently.

_Stabilize?_ runs through his head. _I don't understand! Why me? Why—him?_

~@~

"I can't _wait_ to get back and tell people this! Naruto, separated into his…his innocence and his prankster side—incredible!"

"Ino, I don't think that's a good idea…" Sakura whispers, glancing apprehensively towards the second Naruto.

"What would _you_ know, Sakura?You didn't even want to come!"

Naruto watches the conversation with an amused expression, and finally looks up to Iruka. "They talk a lot, don't they?"

"Uh," Iruka raises a hand to the back of his head. "I suppose…"

There was a moment of silence while Naruto looked at the females, conscious of the growing hostility from Kyubi, conscious of his territorial urge, his attempts to control it.  They watch him back with tiny glances, trying not to stare—but Naruto expects that.  He looks different, he _acts _different, and by all accounts there's _two_ of them.

Well, one a demon in disquise, but no one knows that. 

Naruto is good at playing along.  "Ne, Ino—why did Tsunade bring you along?"

"Me? Oh, because she needs me to see how the threads of your mind are woven and how much effort it would take to re-merge the two of you.  My family's really busy this time of year, so I was the only one available."

"So," Naruto muses slowly. "You have to…check my mind?  Is it gonna hurt?"

"Nope!" Ino smiles cheerfully.  "Don't worry, I'm the best there is!"

"Ino specializes in mind-jutsu and genjutsu," Iruka explains.  "Hokage-sama will engage in a dual-jutsu with her to check your body and mind, Naruto."

"Exactly," the woman in mention speaks as she pushes open the door.  "Good to know I won't have to explain anything to you!  Come, sit over here, Naruto, so we can begin."

~@~

"Alright! Now, Naruto—you need to relax.  You might feel something, but I swear it won't be painful." 

Sasuke pushes the door open with a foot and skims through before it closes.  He balances a tray of sweet tea and a second one of small cookies he had found in the back of the cupboard.  A glance around the room shows nothing seems to be out of place; Kyubi off to himself with his back to the room, Tsunade and Ino facing Naruto while Sakura and Iruka watch the proceedings with curious expressions.

He kneels to place the tea on the small coffee, glancing hesitantly at Naruto; the blond has his eyes closed as Ino moves her hands into a complex jutsu.

"Thank you, Sasuke," Iruka murmurs as he wordlessly hands tea out. Sakura manages a small smile despite her lingering paleness and the dark-haired boy takes a cup for himself and sips.

"Whoa," Naruto murmurs faintly. "…Feathers…"

Against his will, Sasuke turns his gaze to the demon and watches, uneasy with the way the shoulders flinch. _He's holding back.  _He glimpses a shudder wrack down the spine as Naruto makes a funny noise behind him…

…then Ino exhales loudly. "Wow…that's really weird…There are complete gaps in his psyche and that should, like, totally make him a vegetable—but he's not!  Odd…"

"Oh?" the Hokage murmurs. "How so?"

"There were places that just…weren't.  Faded.  So, it would make sense if his mind was occupying two bodies…" Ino muses and snatches at a cookie and a cup for herself.  "Incredible.  I've never seen anything like it—Oh, Sasuke-kun, this tea is delicious!"

"Thank you," the dark-haired boy responds automatically.  "Naruto? Do you feel okay?"

Blue eyes flutter as Naruto shakes his head. "Feathers.  It felt like feathers…"

"Here," Sasuke offers him a cup of tea.  "Eat something.  U-Uzumaki?"

"Fuck off," the other mutters.

"So _rude_," Ino whispers.  "Am I going to have to scan him as well? I can't believe that—it would be like dipping myself in _mud_…"

"Ah, about that, Ino…you're going to have to do this in a certain way—" Tsunade starts, leaning forward.  Sasuke can tell her expression is serious.

"Certain way? What do you mean?  There's nothing to it—he doesn't even have to be over here—" Ino grins and haughtily tosses her hair. "Watch—I'll show you—" and her hands blur into seals.

"No, Ino—_wait!_" Tsunade makes a grab for her hands—

—but it's too late, and her fingers pause and her eyes close—

Something unseen shock-waves through the room.  Naruto shudders and his eyes open wide in shock, unseen surprise.  Sasuke has an afterimage of chakra and turns his head to see the demon staring in their direction with an expression that chills him motionless.  "Shit—"

Tsunade curses under her breath as Ino reels back with a gasp, slumping and the woman reaches out to steady her.  A line of blood trickles under Ino's nose and she flinches, one hand pressing her temple. "Wha…what?" 

"You…_bitch_," the demon hisses.  His eyes are a glaring red.  "I allowed your presence, I allowed your insults, I allowed your _existence _and you—you dare to rummage through my mind like garbage!" His teeth are suddenly bared as the crimson eyes narrow, bright and focused on the rage.  

Iruka grabs the half-conscious Naruto and pulls him back instinctively, wrapping arms around the boy with eyes staring at the sight.  

_He's going to kill her,_ Sasuke thinks.  He knows.  He moves, anticipating the blur of speed and half-shrieked words—

Someone screams. Sakura, he thinks, even as he manages to keep his ground by using most of his chakra in his legs and feet, fingers gripping the demon's forearms, pushing _back_ against the surge of horrible power and face to face with the rage, the bared teeth and lashing red chakra—

"Stop—" he grinds out.  "You can't—"

"_I can!"_ the demon snarls. "_I will!"_

_"You will not!"_ Sasuke roars back, pushing back. His legs give out; he's almost forced to his knees by the resurgent flux of power, the sheer _hate_ and frustration—Something shifts; his balance, he doesn't know. He grabs, somehow, fisting a hand in the black fabric and pushing; hears it rip and then—

then—

pain-bright white hot _pain_ and the behind-the-ears sound of bone cracking—

Kyubi has his sharp teeth fastened firmly into Sasuke's arm just below the wrist; he can see the blood, taste it in the air as it flows and spatters to the floor—

_He severed the vein._

The demon's eyes flame and Sasuke can feel the snarl vibrate through the damaged flesh, the grating bone.  He makes a soft sound of pain as everything freezes down to the moment Kyubi bites a fraction harder.

_"Kyubi!"_ comes Naruto's sudden cry. And then he's there, arms wrapped around the waist of his double, tugging and whispering stuff, and while Sasuke thinks that he should be able to hear; all he can focus on is the way Kyubi _stares _at him, a faint horror rising slowly through the rage in those eyes.

"Let go, let go, it's alright—let go of Sasuke—"

It takes a moment that feels like forever as the teeth unclench. Sasuke wonders if he's even breathing as the pressure loosens and fades. The pain morphs into a sullen burning intensity and he can feel the pulse of the blood through the gashes.  His arm twitches.

Kyubi draws back and smears a hand over his face, slow and reflective. Blood streaks to his cheek, drips off his chin and mouth. His eyes seem surprised and appraising—

Naruto's face swims hazily in his direction; it's pale and his eyes are wide and pained. "Sasuke—are you okay, Sasuke?"

The adrenaline coursing through his body gives him a sick and lightheaded sensation, but he answers with numb lips. "I'm fine."  He sways and realizes he's on his knees, his arm dragging down into a steady stream of pain, of blood.

Words tune into his hazy sick feeling.  "…lay him down.  You stupid impulsive girl!—"

The sound of crying, of breathless frightened crying, and then somewhere, a soft sound. Spitting.  A curse.

A rough voice speaks. "…it tastes…wrong…"

Sasuke opens his eyes; Tsunade has a tight hand over his wound and she looks stressed. He can hear the soft insistent words of Naruto, his defiant words at Iruka's sharp worried voice.

_"…didn't mean to!_" Naruto is saying.  A blurry blink and he can see that Kyubi still watches him with that weird speculative look, and that Naruto refuses to let go of the demon.  "It's not his fault—"

"He could have ripped me apart," he mumbles, and tries to focus his thoughts. His eyes close as an icy sensation sweeps through him; Tsunade must be using her chakra to heal it.

_He could have…but didn't…_

~@~

"What the hell were you thinking?" Tsunade snaps at the terrified Ino.  "Don't you know _anything_—you _never_ do a jutsu like that without asking permission! You can damage the mind of your selection, or _yourself_ through the backlash—especially if the one you try to 'see' is stronger than you!"

"But—I didn't—"

"You know nothing of this situation!"  Without warning, her arm jabs out and her fingers brush Ino's forehead; the girl slumps to the side, deeply asleep, and Sakura flinches as she's forced to catch the body.  The Hokage tears her eyes away from the pale shaking girl and stares furiously at the blood-smeared boy.  "And _you_."

Crimson eyes flicker towards her with veiled threat and rage still lurking in their depths.  "What about me?" the demon responds.  "You of all people should know better…"

She spits to the side, unimpressed. "You lost control," she states. "I expected better from you, despite your…nature."

"I'm touched," Kyubi murmurs, examining his bloody fingertips. He glances, amused, towards Sakura and the unconscious Ino.  "Be glad he got in my way and didn't lose that hand."

"Kyubi," Naruto mutters reproachfully and tugs gently on the torn shirt, smoothing and palms against his chest.  "Calm down."

The demon twists his head to stare and snarl, "Fuck you, kit." He spits a mouthful of bloody saliva to the ground, frowning at it.

"Something wrong, demon?"

"…it tastes…wrong," Kyubi absently replies, rubbing at the blood on his fingers.  "I don't like it."

"Naruto—" comes Iruka's small and tense voice. "Why don't you come over here—"

"Iruka-sensei, it's _okay_. He didn't mean to do it, I know he didn't."  Naruto frowns at Kyubi, who averts his gaze and looks bored. "It's not his fault."

"Damn right," the demon mutters.  "Stupid bitch." He rubs at the blood on his face, smearing it and wiping it on the black fabric of his shirt. He spits again.

Tsunade lays the wounded wrist on Sasuke's stomach and pulls at his shoulders, kneeling behind him to brace the unsteady torso.  Sasuke seems to focus a bit at the action; the Hokage has a low influx of chakra feeding into his reserves; replenishing his energy and his blood.

"…could have ripped me apart," Sasuke mumbles, too pale and unfocused eyes.  

"I still can if you want me to," the demon whispers with a mocking smile. "It's all your fault anyway."

And then he's gone, vanished in a scorching flourish of chakra. Naruto stumbles, his balance shifting to counteract the absence of the weight he was leaning on.  "Dammit, Kyubi," he yells, stamping his foot.

Sasuke smiles faintly, unaware of it, and closes his eyes again, falling behind the dark silence of unconsciousness. He dreams in vague colors, primary reds and blacks and blues, where the moon hovers over everything and paints it silver. Where two figures stand, hand in hand and watch him through the darkness.

~@~

Sasuke wakes with a gasp and jerks upright, confused, mind smoothing into blankness.  That dream…what a strange thing…He looks around, seeing moonlight and white sheets and the scent of the night air through the window.

"…hey," a soft voice whispers. "You're awake."

Sasuke turns to see Naruto sitting cross-legged to his side, between him and the wall.  "…what happened?" he asks, belatedly yanking up his arm and examining the faint scar on the flesh.  "Where—"

"Outside," Naruto shrugs, turning his face to look out of the window.  

"And the Hokage? Ino? The others?"

"They left. I don't think Tsunade was very happy with today, but she said that Ino helped her find out some possible ways to fix me." Naruto's profile is etched in silver; his blue pajama top soaking in the light until it looks a soft velvety purple.  "Are you okay, though?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke repeated. "It wasn't that deep.  Why…why did you wait up for me?" He watches through lowered lashes when Naruto turns.  The blue eyes are black in the darkness, wide and solemn.  A look he's unsure of flickers through them, as if Naruto is trying not to look at him.  Sasuke runs his fingertips along the faded scar, feeling echoes of the painful biting pressure, flashes of the crimson eyes.

"I wanted to make sure you're alright.  Sasuke—"

Startled, Sasuke looks to Naruto but the blond is gazing outside again.  "Why aren't you angry with him? I mean, he keeps attacking you, even if he's just playing or whatever he's trying to do—why haven't you left?"

"…the Hokage told me to stay with you," Sasuke replies.  "She said I stabilize you, that you need me…"

"Oh."

_What does it mean?_ Sasuke wants to ask, staring at the blond without intending more than a glance. _What do you know? _Instead, he blurts the first inane thing that springs to mind. "What are you looking at?"

"Kyubi," Naruto murmurs.  "He's outside."

_What? He's watching…the demon?_ Stubbornly, Sasuke drags himself to his knees and banishes the hint of weakness his body whispers.  He leans towards the window, leaning across Naruto's space and looks out the window.

The boy he sees doesn't look like a demon, not with silvered skin and hair, with a face turned from the moon.  Sasuke can't make out much more than the profile of the cheek and nose, from the hair that shifted in the breeze.  The boy sits on the grass with his knees to his chest, a solitary figure etched with the afterimage of elusive red chakra.

"What is he doing?" Sasuke whispers, confused.  "Why is he sitting out there like that?"

"He didn't mean to bite you," Naruto whispers back. His eyes are half-closed, sleepy and unfocused.  He inhales slowly, leaning his head against the windowsill and looking past the world. "He doesn't like hurting you. I think he's sad."

_Sad?_Sasuke thinks disbelievingly.  _There's no way. _ "Why…?" 

"He likes you," Naruto mumbles with a mischievous, sleepy smile, yawning. "Didn't you know that? He _likes_ you."

_…there's no way…_

Sasuke stares out into the yard, bewildered by the mumbled words. _He likes me…no way…why would he…_He glances helplessly at Naruto, who's in the middle of a yawn and slumping further down the wall, but Sasuke keeps his thoughts to himself. His eyes return to the window, to beyond, and minutes pass.  He doesn't know how long, but when he glances back Naruto's eyes are closed and his breathing sounds soft and even.  Asleep.  

Like he should be, right?

Sasuke tears his gaze away from the window and the confusion sitting beyond it, from the sleeping Naruto, and carefully lays himself down. He doesn't feel like moving to the floor; besides, it couldn't hurt to rest here for just a few hours, and Naruto was watching out for him…

The dark-haired boy let out a sigh and curled up on his side.  His scarred right arm cuts across his vision.  _I shouldn't go to sleep; he might…he might come inside…_

_…because…because there's no way…demons don't like humans, they **eat **them. _ 

~@~

Silence, footsteps, the sound of breathing.  A brief touch against his wrist, the inside of his arm; delicate and warm.  Fingers around his wrist, the puff of a breath against his skin. A second touch along his wrist, along the sensitive and recently healed flesh.

_…what the…_

Sasuke struggles to open his eyes, exhausted and unable to rise above half-asleep, and peers through his lashes to the movements of a hand slowly tracing his arm.  There's a weight settled in behind his shoulder, a weight that leans over him, and in the corner of his vision he can see the elbow and folds of dark cloth. 

_Naruto?_ he thinks, and knows it's not. He can't make himself move, can't make himself speak, can't do _anything_ but watch the fingers trace the faded scar.

"…fool," he hears on the edge of his hearing. "Now what do I do with you?"

~TBC~

A/N ~  well….*cough* there's _some_ mention of sex…^^;;;  I assume, with Sasuke's past and his obsession with training, that he would have little time for sex, or sexual exploration—where as Naruto, peeping tom that he is, _would_ know about it.  and, I mean, they're 15!!  they've got to know, if not exactly, what it is.

so. um.  next chapter. some…stuff.  very good stuff.  should be up soon, I hope.


	5. five

**~Warning/Disclaimer~**

Naruto and Co. don't belong to me. Sad, isn't it?  Kyubi's characterization is purely invented—I don't know if he's _really_ like that, but I'd like to think so. ^_~

So um. Sex and lime-ish warning for this chapter. Read at your own risk. Don't bitch because you didn't think.

Enjoy!

(rinse, lather, repeat and review!)

**Division**

**~part 5~ **

The next few days are painfully, nerve-tight normal.  Sasuke doesn't know whether he should begin asking questions, or just avoid the demon altogether. Things are too strange, too frightening.  It's not right. Nothing is right.

Sasuke finds himself thinking more and more that if he had met up with the two missing-nin responsible for Naruto and Kyubi's situation, he would have killed them himself.  Gladly.  Because this is too much, even for him.

Because the demon doesn't act different; he doesn't look at him weirdly, like the girls do, he doesn't squeal or scream his name—he doesn't do any of the things Sasuke associates with 'normal'.  He's beginning to wonder if he merely dreamed of the conversation between him and Naruto at an hour still in single digits.

Because that's possible, entirely possible, right? No way that a demon could…could _like _a human, especially in the way that Sasuke suspects it to be.  No way…

Sasuke pushes the mess from his mind with frightening ease, coiling it up into a gray-stained knot in his mind and wanders around the corner of the house. The grass pricks his feet, staining them a faint green, but he doesn't mind.  He pauses when he stands just before the small yard behind the house.

_Sh-thunk__.___

Naruto is standing in the middle with a string of shuriken and kunai strapped to his body.  From the pillow-case tied to the tree, he's practicing his aim.  The fabric is shredded in many places, falling away from the center to reveal pale heartwood.  He is alone, which is strange.

Sasuke frowns.  "Dobe," he calls without thinking.  "Where's the fox?"

Naruto gestures, one hand wiping the sweat off his forehead.  "Somewhere over there. Not too far."

Sasuke eyes the trees and shivers at the thought that he'd have to go alone to find the demon to stick around and stay out of trouble. It's not something he wants to do, not currently; he doesn't have a clue how long the fox might be _moody_.  

_Damn. _

"Hey, Sasuke?"  Naruto's voice is unnaturally quiet; his gaze is turned upwards towards the lazy pattern of clouds against the sky.

"Hmmm?" Sasuke pushes hair from his face and rests his fingers against his neck, looking away with a dry mouth. "What is it?" _He's going to ask me something about Kyubi…or tell me something…_

_or…__or worse…_

"Is it lunchtime?"

~@~

Naruto is on his second helping by the time the demon appears without warning on the table right in the middle.  Sasuke stiffens and doesn't turn from the counter where he scrapes and rinses the dishes before soaping them. It's odd to have the demon in the kitchen; Kyubi hasn't been around as much.

Still, despite being around Sasuke, the demon barely looks at him and doesn't speak to him.  Naruto calmly moves his dish away from the bent legs.  "Where'd you go?"

"Over by that creek," the fox replies, leaning over to sniff at Naruto's lunch of smoked fish, rice and sweet buns. "There were people there."

"Really?"

"Yes.  They bit each other a lot."

Sasuke turns to see Kyubi sneaking bits of the fish from Naruto's plate and sighs inwardly.  He prepares a meal for the demon and places it in front of him, frowning. "You're making a mess on the table."

The demon scoops up his plate and gives him an unconcerned look. 

"What do you mean, they bit each other?" Naruto questions as Kyubi gets involved with his fish.  "What were they doing?"

"I don't know; they were biting.  They were on the ground and he was biting her face.  Then they mated." His words and tone are matter of fact.

Sasuke nearly drops the water-slick dish on the floor as Naruto chokes on his water and echoes his thoughts. "They _what?_ You—_you_ _watched them?_"

Kyubi shrugs and discreetly edges away from the mess of water and glares a dirty look at the other blond. "So what? It looked like fun."

_Fun?!__ They were having **sex!**_ _And the biting thing…_ Sasuke discreetly rubs a hand across his brow as he stacks the now-clean dishes in the cupboard.  "They weren't biting, they were _kissing_, idiot. Kissing."

"Oh," the demon frowns thoughtfully.  "But what's the point?"

"It's a human thing," Sasuke replies and steals the empty plate from Kyubi.  "Kissing someone is a sign of affection."

"Love," Naruto interrupts.  "Like love, too."

For a moment there's nothing but the vague outside-sounds, so Sasuke shies away from the table with the last of the dishes.  _It'll be a long day_, he thinks.  The demon is absorbed in the bits of information they had given him; he sits on the table with a thoughtful amused expression.  Sasuke turns his back and dumps the plates into the sink.

He can hear a murmur of sound, a question of sorts while his back is turned.

Naruto's louder whisper, "…don't know, I've never really kissed..."

The rest of their nearly silent conversation is lost as Sasuke sets the dishes to dry, but his mind turns the phrase over like a faceted stone to flash the light. _Neither have I, _he thinks. _Because an eleven-year-old Naruto doesn't count._

The scrape of chairs, and a scuffling sound. Sasuke turns to see Naruto pulling the demon off the table.  Kyubi doesn't give any effort to move, but he doesn't resist whatever Naruto's trying to do; he leaves streaks of dirt on the table and a few leaves.

"Sasuke could—"

"No, come _on_," Naruto mutters. "Don't you dare."

"…_fine. _Stupid kit," Kyubi sighs and abruptly goes limp and rolls off the table. Sasuke can tell he's landed on his feet by the way he straightens and allows Naruto to pull him from the room.

_…what?_ Sasuke is staring after them in his confusion—something he can't seem to avoid these days, and hears the door shut. Faintly, very faintly, he can make out the tones of Naruto's voice, and Kyubi's more annoyed growl.  _What was that about?_

And the day passes in unexpected calm.

~@~

The breeze is almost cold on his face, distracting him, keeping his awareness blunt.  It's almost a welcome numbness until a voice whispers behind him.

"Humans shouldn't sleep like that."

It seems to take forever as Sasuke dregs up enough will, enough awareness, to turn his head.  "What are you doing up?"  He feels lethargic where he sits with his chin braced in his palm, staring out the window.  It's late, the half-moon is peeking through the trees, and he's unable to move, _unwilling_ to move more than just his head as a funny sort of friction runs through him.

Kyubi tilts his head and doesn't answer. He stands just beyond the patches of moonlight in the room, wild-scented and grass stained.

Sasuke stares back, moving fraction by fraction until his back leans flat against the wall to the left of the window.  The moonlight is a patch of colorless brightness on the bed; he can make out Naruto's curled up form—the blond is oblivious to the world—and he slides a glance over the stark shadows on Kyubi's skin. "What were you doing out so late?" he questions before he can stop himself; it's been a day or so since he's really _seen_ the male for more than minutes at a time.  

It's only been three days since the flesh was torn and bone cracked.  _Are you avoiding me because of what you did? Because you tried to kill me?_

Red-black eyes slide along his form and the demon speaks to him directly for the first time in days. "Does it hurt?"

"…what?"

"Your arm…where I bit you. Does it hurt?"

Sasuke can tell the other male is serious, and frowns.  Movement, thought, _reaction_ is coming easier now.  It's strange; he doesn't feel the urge to move away, the tangled skeins of fright and wariness he feels when the demon speaks to him.

"Not anymore," the dark-haired boy answers.  "Naruto said you didn't want to bite me…"

"I have my days," the male replies.  "Sometimes you just _beg_ for a nibble."

"He also said you like me," Sasuke is quite proud of the bland tone of his voice; inwardly he feels suddenly afraid as the red-black eyes sharpen on him, cutting over him.  

"Oh?" the demon purrs with a curl of the mouth.  "And you believed him?"

"Yeah," Sasuke drawls.  "He also said the moon makes you moody…" 

"Don't be stupid; it's not the moon." Kyubi tilts his head slowly in the other direction, as if he could feel the weight of the moonlight on his skin.  "Because I like the moon.  Like a pure and crystal-thin scream…"

Sasuke can't understand why he's amused by the rolling movement and the hint of swaying to unheard music; he can't understand why he's not _moving_, not running or _afraid_—

…because he should be wary, right? 

"Sasuke," Moving onto the bed one leg at a time, across from him, Kyubi breathes out so quietly he has to strain to hear the word.  "Don't you hear it? Dreaming and awake, she sings…"

The dark-haired boy feels himself blink languidly, his heart thumping almost painfully in his chest; the moonlight is very bright, the shadows on skin as sharp as the edge of a blade—too close and he'll cut himself—and Kyubi is radiating warmth.  Such warmth and the scent of the earth, sweet and wild.  

"No," he admits after a moment.  Sasuke watches with mild interest as Kyubi slips himself onto the bed, hands brushing knees and the bed dipping under his weight. It's a wonder that Naruto doesn't wake, but then, the boy had never woken that easily.

Kyubi climbs slowly through the patch of moonlight, eyes flashing red when he glances up and puts his body by the window, on Sasuke's left and against the wall.

Wait—this wasn't right, this wasn't _good_ there had to be something wrong, something that wasn't supposed to happen—

"Scoot down," the demon murmurs and stretches out in the patch of moonlight, silvered skin and hair and black eyes.  Sasuke does so without question, turning and sliding his legs out along the demon's, his body within that space of warmth. Kyubi moves to let the moonlight pass him by; enough to let Sasuke turn his head and stare past him, out into the bright orb set among the splash of stars.  

"Do you want to?" the demon murmurs next; Sasuke has forgotten what he asked a few minutes ago.  Kyubi rolls so _close_ to Sasuke; he's braced on an arm so he can see Sasuke's face 

_Want to? Do I want to hear the moon? Is that what he meant?_

"I…"

_This can't be…right, it isn't right—because he **likes** me—_

"I—"

He watches without a care—_no_-something coils inside him, tightly, warningly-this can't be _right_—as Kyubi stretches an arm out over his stomach, still moving, and braces himself over Sasuke.  His head over Sasuke's, chest over chest.  Sasuke has to breathe very faintly to keep his skin from touching and he doesn't seem to find it in himself that the demon was acting very strange, that he should care but he doesn't—he _doesn't_—

_"_You're going to eat me," falls from Sasuke's lips unbidden. _You **like**_ _me._

"_Yes_," the demon breathes, sounding thrilled, and lowers his mouth to the right. 

Sasuke's eyes flicker to the moon—_He's going to kiss me?_—he can feel the warm tickling breath on his skin as Kyubi slides further and shivers.  He can see the moon; the sight almost sings in a pitch too high to hear, and there are lips against his skin, against his neck—

Sasuke's eyes flutter shut, mouth falling open, as a tongue grazes the muscles in his neck. The rush of arousal is heady, almost to the point where he can't function—he's never felt anything this strong, nothing like this, moon-bright and red-tinged _lust_—

—he gives up on convincing himself that something's wrong, that this _should not_ be happening, when teeth press into his skin in a mocking bite and he can catch the faint vibration of that purring noise Kyubi makes every now and then.

_Holy shit_, he thinks, as a body slips down against his. A body against him. A chest and a heartbeat, thudding a rhythm out to his. A mouth, a kiss to his pulse, a tongue to taste him.  Sasuke's face warms with a flush; he can feel the hardness of the demon's arousal against his hip, almost touching _his_—and something writhes inside at the thought that he _wants _it to—that he can smell the musky overpowering scent of the demon, of Naruto—because this was Naruto, in a way, this was—

"Kyubi," he breathes out. "…don't…"

The demon growls against his skin, absent and faint. One hand twitches at the hem of Sasuke's shirt, lifting until heated fingers slip up along his ribcage, across his chest, pushing it up and baring his skin.  The demon bites along the seam of neck and shoulder, then a harder nip, and shifts his hips a fraction. Words without words to show his intent.

Sasuke jumps at the movement, at the contact because it's too intimate, too_ close_ and he _likes it oh god he does_—

And then the demon is rubbing himself slowly, moving against him in a way that sends fire screaming through Sasuke's nerves and melting through his spine because this was sex—it was _sex_ wasn't it?—and the demon was moving so _smoothly _and his body…

…his traitorous foolish body can't help the way he moves in response. 

_no__ no this is bad_, something screams. Something that tears at his mind, trying to get free, trying to _stop_—

but he's so _hard_ and he's never been this hard and he's never thought it could feel like this—_Does it feel like this all the time?_—and then Kyubi's clever fingers are mapping out his chest and stomach and just inside the waistline.

Sasuke can see the moon and makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat as he tries to breath and tries to move just a bit faster, because it was there—it was _there_ and while he didn't know exactly what shape it was going to make—it was—

—almost—

_"_What are you _doing!?_" someone hisses. "Kyubi! Stop that!" 

Motion stops, and Sasuke makes a strange noise; his fingers twitch where they're loosely curled against the sheets but that's as much movement as he's able to do. The body against him doesn't lift, the pressure is there, and if he could just move—

"…stop interfering!" 

"Dammit!" 

The bed jumps violently as Naruto scrambles up and shoves at Kyubi with hands at his shoulders. "Are you stupid? You can't just force him and warp him over like that—you can't dothat to Sasuke, you can't _make_ him want it!"

"Why _not?_"

"_You're raping him_!!" Naruto shoves again, rocking the three of them on the bed; Sasuke's mouth is brushing the woodsy-scented fabric, tasting the head just beyond it. The motion of the bed is dizzying, heated, but he can't move—

—because there's something wrong—_Why__ can't I move?_

"I'm _not_," the demon whispers coldly, allowing Naruto's ineffectual shoves. "He wants it. Don't you? I _know_ you do—"

Naruto is still shoving at the shoulder with fists and an unexpected fury; Sasuke can see him when he turns his head because Naruto's body blocks the moon and then he can see the flicker of the blue chakra in the darkness. Naruto hisses and leans furiously into the demon's space.  "Get _off_, Kyubi.  I'm not going to let you do it like this! Not like _this!_"

Kyubi's face shifts into a dangerous predatory expression, and a strange vibration of frustration lies under the voice.  "I'm not some human that will throw out _flowers_ for a fuck—"

"You can't force him_!_" Naruto insists. "Not likes this!"

"Kit—"

"I _know_ how much you want to," Naruto finally admits. "I know.  But you can't, not like this. Please, Kyubi…don't do this to him…you have to _ask_…"

Seconds tick away before the demon whispers harshly. "I _need_ this—I didn't get a choice in this—"

"I know.  But not like this," Naruto briefly drops his forehead against the clenched jaw and strokes his fingers carefully on the line of the shoulder.  

"Fine.  _Fine_."  Kyubi rasps out a breath, his chakra flaring violently, scraping walls and bed and floor, tearing up splinters and plaster and paint.  Sasuke flinches instinctively below him, eyes jerking shut as he turns his head away.

When Sasuke opens his eyes, as his muscles twitch and finally respond to his brain's impulses, the demon is gone, totally gone from his senses.  He doesn't know if he should feel relieved or not; he's too confused to put the pieces together.

Naruto exhales tiredly and his posture shifts until he's sitting on the bed again.  

And Sasuke moves without thinking, gasping, kicking and pushing himself backwards, rucking up sheets and clothing as the adrenaline suddenly kicks in.

_"_What did he do to me_?!_" Sasuke tumbles off the bed and lands painfully on his back.  Naruto is watching him with wide eyes, lines of shadow and moonlight stark on his skin, but Sasuke still scrambles backward, trying to do what he _should_ have done. "What the _fuck_ did he do?"

"Sasuke…" Naruto moves to the edge of the bed and looks at him, concerned, hesitant, and Sasuke flinches back violently at the thought of someone touching him or even _near _him at the moment.

_"What did he do?"_

"I told you," Naruto explains. "He likes you…you heard what he said, right? He doesn't do things like we do…he just…" Naruto shrugs uncomfortably and bites his lip; the action seems unnatural for him and Sasuke has to remind himself that this isn't really Naruto anyway. So it doesn't count.

"He was going to…he was…" Sasuke swallows against the frantic spasms of his heart.

"…yeah," Naruto looks away uncertainly, almost afraid, hurt, like he'll break down and _cry_. Or something. 

The expression passes as Sasuke struggles to inhale properly, for a moment to calm his mind and trying not to scream—

—because he would have done it, he would have _let him_—

"Why?" Sasuke gasps. It's the most expression he's shown to anyone, the most weakness in showing his fear, his confusion. "_Why_?"

"I don't know," Naruto mumbles. "He never told me why." 

~@~

"I'm going to talk with Hokage-sama," is the first and only words Sasuke greets him with as Naruto walks into the kitchen. The blond isn't exactly sure where Sasuke spent the night; he didn't bother following him after Sasuke had stumbled out of the room in his panic.  At second glance he takes in the bowl of miso soup and portion of rice and fidgets uncomfortably; Sasuke is already dressed and slipping on his sandals.

"With Tsunade? But—"

Sasuke shoots a glance over his shoulder; he's almost out the door and his shoulders are tense.  Naruto is familiar with this look, so he shuts his mouth and sits at the table and shoves away the fear inside. He doesn't look up until he hears the scrape of the closing door.

_He's going. He's really going._

Naruto doesn't feel like eating, so he pushes the bowls away and tucks his feet up on his chair.  "Stupid," he whispers. He doesn't look up at the soft spitting sound from the corner, where Kyubi lurks because he knew the fox was there.  

But Kyubi had been right; he didn't have the choice—it was _all his__ fault_—

"I'm sorry," Naruto whispers. "I didn't—"

"Don't. Just don't."

"But—but what if he leaves—"

Kyubi's footsteps are soundless on the floor but Naruto knows the moment he moves.  He relaxes a fraction when the demon leans over him, chin digging into the joint in his shoulder. Hair tickles his ears and neck as arms steal around his body.

"He won't," the kitsune whispers, sounding amused. "Because I can drag him back here for you…"

"You just wanna sleep with him," Naruto mumbles. 

"Your point?" Kyubi nips the skin of his shoulder.  "I take this moment to remind you that you want him too."

Naruto shrugs hesitantly.  "I don't know _what_ I want anymore…"

~@~

Voices, low and unusually intense, stop him before he can open the door to the Hokage's private room.  Sasuke frowns and with fingertips resting lightly on the wood, freezes into silence.

"—It's _not_ a good thing."  The Hokage's voice. Frustrated.

"We don't know how this will play out yet," a man's voice slowly replies.  "You've got Naruto's fragile self, a demon who's main purpose at this point is to protect his host, thus himself—and then you throw in the coldest, loneliest boy I've ever seen.  Uchiha Sasuke has more problems than he shows.  Maybe…"

"Maybe?" 

"Maybe having Naruto depend on him is a good thing.  Maybe Sasuke needs to feel needed.  Afterall, those two have more passion around each other than any I've seen—"

"They fight like cats and dogs," Tsunade's voice mutters.  "And now that they've got the demon to mess with their heads, who knows _what _will happen."

Sasuke's world narrows to a pinprick point as he exhales, gut twisting. _Needed? Naruto…I know Naruto needs me…but…_

_The demon…Kyubi…what about him? What am I supposed to do?_

_I can't talk to her. I can't. She won't understand._  Sasuke inhales a shallow breath and bites his lip.  _I've got orders. Orders from the Hokage. I risk the **village** because I'm being selfish…_

_I am shinobi.  I don't get a choice._

_…but…_

~@~__

"I'm beginning to think I've made a mistake." Tsunade folds her hands in her lap and frowns at the folds of the fabric.

"Oh?" The man across from her sips generously from the small sake cup before placing it empty on the low table.

"…Sasuke was given orders to stay with Naruto, to provide stability and a sense of safety.  I gave him orders to do whatever is necessary to keep things calm…" 

"And how is that bad?" Jiraiya tucks his hands inside his kimono.

"Because the Kyubi wants more than Sasuke should give. Too much for Sasuke to handle."

"Ah. So the little bastard demon wants to get laid?" the white-haired sennin grins to himself, chuckling.  

"This isn't funny, old man. I won't condemn Sasuke to such a thing—laying with a demon, regardless of form, is too dangerous. We don't know the risks! It's my fault; I shouldn't have given him such an order—

"But you're forgetting one thing," the man points out.  "Some demons, like the kitsune, don't take someone without permission.  Goes against their code.  Sasuke has to wantit, and I mean really want it, before that can happen.  With Naruto in the picture, I think it's much harder for the demon to seduce him."

"…what are you saying?" Tsunade glares doubtfully and makes a face. "And how would you know, anyway?"

"It's not the demon's choice.  It's Naruto's. And I know," the white-haired man leans forward with a smirk. "Because I'm the legendary toad-sennin Jiraiya—I'm the greatest there is!"

"…idiot." Tsunade mutters.  "I walked right into that one."

~@~

"What are you doing out here, Sasuke?"

Sasuke doesn't reply; he knows what he looks like, perched motionless in the middle of the road. He hasn't gotten far since overhearing the Hokage's words, not far from the uncertain fickle demons within him.  He couldn't run far enough if he tried, he knows and so he stands there. Motionless, frozen, trembling.

Kakashi eyes him with a fair amount of worry, moving close enough to touch and somehow hesitant to do so.  Sasuke seems locked in some internal debate—

"Kakashi-sensei," the boy finally rasps out.  

Kakashi repeats his question and wonders if he dares to ask how the other two are doing, how things have been.

Sasuke doesn't answer.

"Ah," Kakashi nervously rubs the back of his head. "I hope you're not mad at me for not visiting sooner—"

"No," Sasuke whispers.  "Not that.  I can't…think. I'm trying to think but it won't unknot itself…"

"Are you alright, Sasuke?"

"No," and Sasuke's voice shakes the tiniest bit.  "Kakashi...I…I can't…I don't think I can do this…"

Out of habit or instinct—Kakashi isn't sure which some days—he reaches out a hand and brushes it against the finely-shaking shoulder—

Gasping, Sasuke pivots instantly, his outflung heel connecting with Kakashi's automatic blocking forearm. The look in his eyes is wild, out of control, desperate.  Surprised, the silver-haired man allows Sasuke's palm-strike to push him back a few inches.

"…Kakashi-sensei—" the boy flinches and draws back.

"I see.  You're stressed—So then—" Kakashi blurs out of sight and twists into a spin, kicking knee and heel towards Sasuke's vulnerable points; he's glad to feel the solid block before they hit.  "Stress-relief!" he sings out, flipping over and dropping a elbow like a stone.

He wonders, as he ducks under a fist and exchanges a blow of his own, who Sasuke is fighting.

Kakashi can see the change in Sasuke's eyes as they bleed to red, as the boy welcomes the mind-blanking exercise; for the next twenty minutes he's reduced to using nearly every trick in the book outside of his jutsus to avoid Sasuke's furious desperate strikes.

Minutes pass as they settle into a rhythm of strike and counter-strike, duck and kick, block and punch. The older man can see in the red eyes how Sasuke fights to understand his problem, to gain control again.

_Perhaps,_ Kakashi muses_. For such people like us, fighting **is **control._

Then, after sweeping away a jabbing fist, Sasuke simply stops.

Kakashi remains on his guard and steps back slightly. "Feeling better?"

Sasuke nods slowly, sweaty and smeared with dusk.  Kakashi is rather proud of the fact that he was unable to land a single blow completely on the boy—and secretly relieved that he came out unscathed as well. He sways—

—and Kakashi is there to steady him as his forehead bumps into the green vest, as his hands come up to clutch helplessly at the fabric.

"Kakashi," the boy whispers, face unreadable.  "I was given orders by the Hokage…Orders to do whatever is necessary, because Naruto needs me…" 

"Ah?" Kakashi looks up from dusting off his clothes. "And why is that bad?"

Fingers twitch as Sasuke's gaze slides elsewhere, fear and uncertainty flashes over his eyes. "The fox…he…he wants…and I can't…I can't, can I? I shouldn't—"

Kakashi carefully lays a hand against the back of Sasuke's head, trying for comfort; he's not sure on how these things work.  "Does the Hokage know of this?" 

"I…haven't talked to her yet.  She was with someone, and I overheard…She was talking about the three of us.  That it might be a good thing. And I…I couldn't possibly…"

Kakashi lets out a soft breath and tries to make his voice as serious as possible.  "I was briefed on this situation; she's mentioned this might happen." Sasuke stiffens against him, shaking minutely. "And you know already about being Naruto's stable force right now—but do you understand it?"

"I thought I did. I thought…but now everything's—"

"Aah, you're still young," Kakashi pats him gently, gingerly. "Listen, Sasuke—do you _understand_ why Naruto needs you?"

A fist smashed against his chest hard enough to leave a bruise and Sasuke bared his teeth when he drew back his head to shout, "Goddamit Kakashi—If I did, I wouldn't be here! I don't get any of this! I never—"

"Because _Naruto_ likes you. It's not just the Kyubi.  Both of them are fascinated by you, Sasuke."

The dark-haired boy pushed him with unexpected strength; with his slender figure and wiry body, Kakashi forgot that he was fifteen, nearly adult, sometimes.  "You're lying," Sasuke exhaled. "Lying. No way.  Naruto—Naruto can't—"

"Man, you kids," Kakashi rubs at his forehead while Sasuke stumbles back another pace.  "Always have to be different.  Why can't you just believe me on this? Naruto likes you; he fights for you, would die for you, and all that?"

Sasuke doesn't answer; he can only stare at him.

"Is it that bad?" Kakashi muses.  "I mean, he's not _ugly_ or anything, and he's got great stamina—"

"Stop it!" Sasuke cries with clenched fists, shoulders shaking. "Just…how can I…how can I do something like this?"

"We~ell, that's something you'll have to figure out on your own."

~@~

Sasuke doesn't know how he managed to stumble back down the path and to the outskirts of the house; he doesn't know how he ended up leaning against the tree, winded as if he had ran all the way, shaking and confused.

_He needs me. He likes me. They **both **like me. Like that. I—_

_I don't know what to do._

He closes his eyes and tries to banish the whisper of words from his memory, the pain and rawness— _"I didn't get a choice in this—_"

Sasuke exhales and raises his eyes to the house; the sun is low in the sky and the shadows are deep.  He knows, if it's true, if Naruto really—feels that—that it means they both would—

They'd both—

Sasuke exhales a second time and tries hard to stop the shaking in the pit of his stomach. He's had training on this sort of thing; it's not unusual for a shinobi to use sex during a mission. He knows how things work between two people, or three, or—or—

"I can't do this," Sasuke whispers to himself. "And I…I can't run away from this…"

_But…_the hand passes over his face and he straightens. _But how—_

_How am I going to do this?_

~@~

Naruto is aware of the exact moment Sasuke enters the house; it's almost like he can taste the difference in the air, the presence of the other.  Kyubi knows too, as Naruto glances up, by the way the sensation of the demon goes sharp and attentive.  A part of him is glad that the demon isn't there to aggravate the situation.

Something flutters inside; Naruto is scared to death that Sasuke will say the Hokage gave him permission to leave. Something tears itself to pieces trying to ignore that possibility as he sits there, knees to chest and back to the closed window.  

He can hear footsteps on the stairs; he wants to watch the door the way with hard burning eyes, but he can't. All he can watch is the way his knuckles go white and the way his feet dig into the bedspread.

_He's going away_, his mind insists. _He's going away._

And then Sasuke's standing in the doorway with a glance to him, and then…

"…it's you, isn't it?" Sasuke whispers. "That's why?" 

Naruto focuses on the bare legs of Sasuke, on his feet, seeing dust stains and the rough redness from sparring, but he doesn't ask. It would be too personal.  Like Sasuke's question is too personal. "Sasuke," he whispers, dry-mouthed, and avoids looking up.

_He's going away!_

The thought makes him want to cry; he hates crying, abhors it. It's weak, crying's weak and he can't be weak in front of Sasuke—

"Is it because of you?" Sasuke repeats. 

Naruto nods, jerkily, as the brief hunger of Kyubi sharpens; the demon knows Sasuke is near.  "I—"  He looks up.

Sasuke is watching him with a strange look; Naruto _knows_ this look. It's heated and vulnerable and young.  He's seen it before.  _He…he's completely open. No masks, no hiding—_

"Sasuke…" Naruto manages to breathe out.  "I…I understand if you don't—if you don't—"

_…don't what, like me? Want me?_

"It's what you need, isn't it?" Sasuke lowers his eyes and looks away, to the floor, while one hand fidgets uselessly with the edge of a sleeve.  "Both of you…" He blinks, and slides a glance back to the blond, uncertain, afraid, wary—

Naruto manages to smile. "I need…you. Nothing else, really—" and he blushes a horrible red at Sasuke's shocked look. He turns his face to the bed again, pushing his forehead on his knees and exhales. 

A shuffle of sound, and Naruto doesn't have to raise his head to know Sasuke's moved closer to the bed; he can see the strong-looking legs move into view.  He peeks over his knees to see hands flexing slightly.

"N-Naruto." A knee settles on the bed, and as Naruto raises his eyes just a bit further, he can see the pulse racing in the hollow of the pale throat.

And then he can't speak at all by the time he manages to meet Sasuke's eyes because he's a lot closer than Naruto expected.  

"But you need this?" Sasuke whispers to him, mouth moving slowly.

Naruto can feel his heart slam into a higher gear as Sasuke leans forward. His lips part as he struggles to speak; but he can't, Sasuke's too close—

_I'm afraid,_ a part of him moans. 

Sasuke leans over him without touching him, and clumsily presses his mouth against Naruto's.  The dark strands of hair fall against his face as Sasuke adjusts his head. Naruto can't move, can't breathe, because Sasuke's mouth is warm and trembling.  

His arm finally moves from its position on his knees, a hand rising to shake against Sasuke's shoulder; the muscled flesh feels hot beneath his fingers. His breath is nothing more than shallow exhalations.  Sasuke angles his head and his mouth opens against the corner of Naruto's mouth.  The blond copies his movements through the instinct that Sasuke would know more about kissing than he would, and jumps as something wet brushes across his lower lip.

_…tongue, he's using tongue—_

Sasuke's moving closer.  The only parts of their bodies touching are their mouths and the inner curve of Sasuke's thigh where it presses against Naruto's shin.  Sasuke's moving closer, pressing his mouth insistently and slowly. His tongue moves efficiently into Naruto's mouth, forcing it to open further.  The thought that it should feel weird, really weird, crosses the blond's mind, but he can't figure out what should feel weird.  Because it doesn't.  Not this.  

They kiss like this for a while, tension-tight bodies and mouths that seamlessly move together, Naruto wordlessly allowing Sasuke to pull him apart stitch by stitch by stitch until he realizes that he's got an arm thrown around the dark-haired boy's neck and Sasuke's pulling at his legs, pushing him, and he's flat on the bed—

Naruto can't seem to catch his breath when Sasuke pulls back, braced over his body, watching him with lidded coal-dark eyes and lips that look red and swollen. 

"Well, isn't that special," a low voice purrs, amused and gently mocking.

~tbc~

~a/n~ Ah, uh, there's MORE, you know.  *cough*  I'm just too much of a coward to post the lemon on FFnet…

so..uh, link yourself to the AFFnet up in my profile.  Really.  you don't wanna miss out on that, do you?

(1) – and that expression is the one he had when Naruto thought he was dying…_ I thought, personally, it was more open than he'd ever been…*cough* 


	6. six

**Warning/Disclaimer**

Naruto and Co. don't belong to me. Sad, isn't it? Kyubi's characterization is purely invented—I don't know if he's _really_ like that, but I'd like to think so.

So um. for this chapter, there's a smack-dab of angst, as well as sexual references! There's also some foul language, so if you don't like, or if you're extremely religious and find me, or my fics and plots offensive…well, don't whine. You read at your own risk. Don't bitch because you didn't think.

Enjoy!

(rinse, lather, repeat and review!)

**Division **

**::p****art 6::**

It takes effort for Sasuke to think. It takes effort to move, to _want_ to move, to open his eyes to the rucked fabric of Naruto's shirt. He wants to be horrified when he finds himself sprawled indecently against Naruto's body, shirtless and legs cramping from the pressure of his pants tangled around his knees, but…it's not.

So he rests there, taking stock before realizing that they were _all_ tangled together; it wasn't just his pants restricting his movements. Sasuke exhales and closes his eyes. It's peaceful and quiet, a little weird, and he wonders if this was the right thing to do. It must be, right? If it had this effect?

_…you liked it…_replies his traitorous mind. _It doesn't matter, you liked it. _

Sasuke focuses on the stickiness smeared on his body, staining Naruto's shirt and the sheets. _How can I like this? It's…gross! _The warmth of Kyubi against his back. The tingling in his legs from his pants—slowly, with a muttering sound, he kicks his legs and works the fabric off. __

_It's messy and painful and pointless—_

He ignores the pain between his legs, the slip of fluid, because that's what he was trained to do; ignore the pain even when he can't help the hissing noise he makes. Better to pretend it doesn't exist even when he thinks of the reason, and sparks jump in his belly.

The motion, he knows, has caught the attention of both. Annoyed, Sasuke kicks the trousers from the bed and settles back with a stony glare. Naruto laughs softly, sleepily, and Sasuke ducks his head, covering it, hiding from the fizzy-feeling blush.

_…and it wasn't that bad, you know…_

He lets his head rest against Naruto's shoulder, half-afraid something will happen. That something won't happen. Or—

"….I seemed to have missed your answer…can you repeat that?" comes Kyubi's amused drawl.

"Stop that," Naruto yawns, shifting until he can raise a hand to his head, scratching. "We're not rabbits."

And the image of Kyubi with rabbit ears and tail hopping across a lawn flashes into Sasuke's head so sharply that he laughs. Naruto turns his head until his cheek nudges Sasuke's forehead; the dark-haired boy can feel the smile on the face.

Without thinking, Sasuke moves his head until his mouth maps a pattern on Naruto's skin. The action itself is free of sexual intention, new and automatic. He stifles an unseemly giggle to his inward shock. The situation is so strange, so simple that Sasuke almost feels…happy.

Naruto tugs briefly on his hair as the muttering fox wraps arms about Sasuke's waist and nuzzles up the back of the neck. Sulking, the fox nips briefly at the exposed skin.

"It's not funny," Kyubi mutters. "You didn't even get _naked_, kit."

_Happy? _Sasuke thinks absently. _How can I be…happy? Am I happy…like this?_

"You didn't either! You've still got your shirt on," Naruto sticks his tongue out.

Kyubi reaches over and thwaps him on the head without replying. For a moment the world floats in the space between breathing. Sasuke almost lets himself doze in the warm little space between the bodies. Naruto's fingers slide gently on his hair again before wandering over his face.

_Pull yourself together, Uchiha. _His body cools into its usual stiffness. Fingers push against the thickness of his black hair, slower and less unfocused. From the corner of his vision Sasuke watches the unmarked face turn towards him.

"Sasuke?" Naruto's voice is distant. "Are you okay?"

Even the demon pauses to listen for an answer.

"I think I need a shower," Sasuke rasps.

"Ummm." Naruto pauses himself, and Sasuke dares to wait for the words he can almost predict on the edge of the blond's voice. Something shivers inside; Naruto might ask a question Sasuke won't be able to answer—or ones that he _can_—and the thought makes him feel slightly sick.

But without reason, even though Sasuke _knows_ himself that there should be a different sort of question after something like this, Naruto's words are simple.

"Oh, okay then. Hey, I'm hungry. Can we get ramen for lunch?"

::::

Both Naruto and Kyubi watch the smooth motion that is Sasuke when he stands and stretches half-numb limbs. Naruto, at least, feels a blush creep over his face at the marks left on the body, the visible outcome of their actions. Kyubi's amusement is sparkling gold in his mind, lust a swirling purple-red.

But neither of them move and neither look away. Sasuke glances briefly at them both with a tentative look.

"You've got time to change your mind," Kyubi replies. "There's still room over here…"

Sasuke shakes his head. "How about 'no'?" he replies dryly. Naruto smothers a giggle as Sasuke slips out the door.

"…you suck," Kyubi whispers to him. "You both suck."

"Come on, I know you're hungry too," Naruto rises with a grin. He undoes the snap on his pants and uses a corner of Sasuke's discarded shirt to clean himself off. "These need to be—What are you doing?"

Kyubi pauses from licking the substance on his fingers. "It's faster this way."

"That's just…ew," Naruto shivers and looks away from the tanned muscle of Kyubi's legs exposed under the shirt, the paler curve of his hip.

"Liar," Kyubi grins. He nips at a finger, dabbing a tongue to drops of white. "It doesn't taste bad, you know. Try it some time…and why didn't you say it?"

Naruto doesn't reply, so Kyubi slides to the edge of the bed. Words are unspoken as the fox reaches out and hooks his fingers through the loose waistband and pulls Naruto closer, carefully, keeping his movements slow.

"Stop it. What are you doing?" Naruto mutters, swatting half-heartedly at the hands while his curious and confused mind force the question out. It doesn't bother the blond boy that the demon is pulling him closer. The nuzzling sensation against his stomach, a tentative brush of tongue, Kyubi's chest pressing into his legs; all of it leaves Naruto with a touch-hungry fox rasping a tongue across his navel.

"Does it matter, kit?" the demon says after a moment, voice low.

The seal flares under Kyubi's stroke, adding a tingle of sensation to the first stirrings of arousal that Naruto has ever felt in connection to the fox. It confuses him, and pleases him, but he doesn't understand the reason behind it. He doesn't understand the demon, doesn't expect to, but…

It seems better than nothing. Better that he and the demon are connected, and this is one more spiral to their dance. Kyubi purrs against his skin and Naruto drops the now-stained shirt to the floor.

"Kyubi—" he begins. Almost of their own will, his hands rise against shoulders. Fingers run up to stroke the wild blond hair, his hair, and it was his face that turned blindly to his stomach. "Why did he do it? Why'd he change his mind all of a sudden? What—what did Tsunada-hag _say_ to him?"

Again as Kyubi remains silent, his fingers slid along the skull and Naruto can feel the demon seeping into his head, heat and swirling colors that pull with velvet fingers, skittering down until it seems that the room is too cold because he's too warm; his skin tightens into goosebumps. The sensation Kyubi shares with him is mute reassurance; he, at least, doesn't seem worried that Sasuke's moods and reactions—or his abrupt descent into sex—have some sort of issue lurking behind it.

"Why should I know? You'll have to ask him"

The warmth recedes from his mind without warning and Naruto blinks, inhaling sharply. Crimson eyes flicker up to meet his; the expression amused. Naruto swallows as the demon speaks.

"It would be easy…If Sasuke didn't have claim…so easy…"

"Huh? What do you mean, easy? What are you talking about?"

With shuttered eyes, Kyubi grins at him, pushing him away before stretching. "Ask Sasuke to show you, and then maybe we'll play."

::::

_You just let a demon fuck you,_ speaks the traitor-voice in Sasuke's mind. _A demon._

Sasuke soaps his face and scrubs it vigorously. _It's not like I had a choice…_ he thinks slowly. _I had my orders…and it wasn't that bad, giving him what he wanted…It could have been worse.He_ ducks his head into the spray to drown the insistent images, exhaling while the water trickled past his mouth.

_And_…_it was just orders. Even if I liked it._ __

A part of him is restless at what he's done, the problems that could rise, the complications. Stuff like this wasn't supposed to happen. He isn't supposed to be letting a demon as powerful as the Kyubi just do what he wanted. He isn't supposed to feel nervous and jumpy and anticipate the next time the creature will touch him—

Sasuke shudders a tiny bit and pushes the thought from his mind. He only does this because it was asked of him. No other reason.

_It's__ past __noon__. Time to get out; there's still lunch to make._ Sasuke reaches out and twists the knob. The water trickles to a stop as he stands there, dripping. He pushes the hair from his face and slides the curtain back. He doesn't mind that the towel he grabs is slightly damp; he bends, wincing, and rubs briskly at his hair to get most of the moisture out.

In the moment he begins to dry his body he can sense a flicker of crimson chakra. Straightening immediately, Sasuke turns his head and frowns. "What," he remarks after a moment with a dry mouth, "could you possibly want now?"

"Oh, you really shouldn't ask such things," the Kyubi purrs. "I might scare you."

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke avoids his questions and brings himself to dry his legs. The flutter of fear, anticipation, coils in his stomach.

"In the kitchen."

"Then what do you want?" Sasuke unclenches his fingers from the towel. He hates the way his heart is thumping in his chest, hates the assessing look in those crimson eyes. He finds it annoying that the demon has found pants somewhere, while Sasuke stands there naked and dripping.

_He was almost naked too. When he was—_his thoughts follow neatly into memory, and he flushes. He breaks the stare abruptly and flings the towel into the corner, movements rushed and hurried because he needs to get out of the bathroom before his thoughts surface fully. Sasuke has a clean pair of boxers in hand, half bent to grab his shorts when he _feels_ the motion before he registers it—

Smooth as oil Kyubi steps up against him, pushing him, trapping him against the wall. Sasuke's arm is braced nearly at the demon's throat, unnoticed. Sasuke feels himself inhale too quickly to be calm and turns his face from the amused little smile.

"Did I scare you? Your heart's going pretty fast…"

Sasuke shudders as the hand flexes against his chest; unbelievably, the strength of the hand is the only thing keeping him pinned to the wall. He doesn't respond to Kyubi's question, refuses to respond even when the mouth moves dangerously near his neck.

"Sasuke?" the rough voice drawls.

Feather-brush of fingertips across his hip, little circles of pressure that spread through his body. Sasuke fights to ignore it with all the stubborn will he has, keeps his eyes fixed firmly on the crack running along the wall from the corner of the shower. Kyubi's touch doesn't exist; he's not being accosted in the bathroom—

_And you didn't just let him fuck you, did you?_ __

Kyubi's hand slips between his legs and Sasuke jumps, but doesn't turn his eyes from the wall, doesn't look back to see the curious expression. Fingers press casually past his scrotum and tease out a flicker of pain from abused flesh.

"_Stop_," Sasuke allows himself to whisper. His hands have turned to claws, leaving marks on Kyubi's chest and shoulders because all of a sudden he's twisting and trying to get away from that insolent pressure. _I don't want it like this!_

Kyubi pushes him back with ease and leans against him. His mouth moves against the pale neck, smiles and sharp teeth to tease the skin. "It's for your own good," the demon mocks him.

"_Kyubi_—" Sasuke warns through gritted teeth; the fingers shift up and it _hurts_ and there's a sudden flare of warmth—as if the demon had him on the floor and was thrusting into him again. The warmth floods into a white-hot heat that's almost as painful; he can taste the red chakra on the back of his tongue. Kyubi's mouth sucks absently on his neck and Sasuke pushes away the flicker of pleasure that swirls down to the heat the demon's generating—

_What is it—what is he doing to me?_ __

Kyubi laughs against his skin. The heat falls away like the water droplets on his body. When he pulls back, Sasuke shivers from the draft of air over his damp skin; his eyes fly towards the demon in confusion, anticipation of _anything_ because he doesn't know what just happened. It shows on his face, he knows it does, because Kyubi tilts his head in that peculiar way and smirks, still standing only inches away. Before Sasuke realizes it both hands are pulling away from his flesh.

"What did you do?" Sasuke spits, unnerved.

"Nothing you didn't want. Get dressed or you'll catch cold." Kyubi pauses for a moment. "Unless you wanted to stay naked for a while…"

Despite the fact he stands there while the demon slides his eyes over him with too much passion for Sasuke's state, the dark-haired boy tries to stand straight and glares. He can't answer that; he knows he can't. To say yes would admit he wanted such a thing. To say no would be condemning himself to something even worse.

"Get _out_."

Kyubi flickers out of view with a grin, and Sasuke's legs give out. He slides along the wall and thumps firmly to the floor—

—and there was no more pain. No torn skin and muscle from a too-quick entry. No pain. The realization stuns him and he can only sit and stare and shiver in the wake of such a thing.

_He healed me? He used his chakra to...heal my…_ Sasuke places the fingers of his right hand on the pale muscle of his left thigh. His fingers are trembling. _He's_ trembling. His anger has passed into a too-familiar form of frustration.

_I can't believe it…he touched me and healed me…why? Because he wants to fuck me again? Surely not to help me…_

With a sigh, Sasuke puts his head on his knees and closes his eyes for a moment. _He didn't do it for you. You know he didn't. He does everything for himself. Everything. He just happens to get a kick out of messing with me._

_So get over it._

::::

Sasuke walks into the kitchen dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. A towel is draped around his shoulders to catch the spattering of water that still seeps from his hair. He stops just inside the entrance, surprise flicking over his features.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto whirls in place without thinking. A cooking pot is clutched in his hands; water slops over the edge. "Sasuke!"

"Dobe." Sasuke raises a brow, amused. "Are you trying to cook?"

Naruto flushes and scowls at him. "I'm hungry! You can't blame me if I'm trying to make myself food…"

Shrugging, Sasuke flips the edge of the towel up over his head to remove the last of the water, toweling it dry with brisk little motions. "But I can blame you if you burn the place down," he replies automatically. He isn't sure if he's serious or not, but decides it doesn't matter when Naruto pouts. The blond spins in place, slopping water again, and sets the pot on the burner. It hisses and crackles as the water steams away.

"What are you trying to make?"

Naruto hesitates, then rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "Noodles and rice with some curry and stuff."

"I thought you wanted ramen?" Sasuke shakes his head until his hair whips in his face, then slides it back with his fingers.

"I changed my mind," Naruto waves his hand without looking back. He upends the box of rice over the pot and carefully stirs.

"Well…whatever."

Silence creeps into the sunlight kitchen. Sasuke pulls out a chair and sits. He props his chin on his palm and studies the grain of the wood. He can't help but glance up every now and then as Naruto either mumbles under his breath, curses, or drops a utensil. He doesn't ask after the demon, and Naruto doesn't offer the information.

Sasuke knows in the back of his head that the fox is somewhere close by, so it wouldn't matter anyway.

He watches through half-dry hair as Naruto slides the container onto a potholder. Despite the strange appearance of noodles, rice and the dark curry, the smell is surprisingly appetizing. _That can't be all that's in there_, he thinks, even as he identifies small bits of meat. "Do you make this a lot?" he asks when Naruto returns with bowls and spoons.

"I made this all the time….you know, before." Naruto waves the ladle and flashes him a small grin.

Sasuke tilts his head and watches mutely as Naruto deftly serves a portion and slides it across the table. _Before.__ When he was still…_

_Still both_, his mind completes. _Still whole._

"Well? Eat up!" Sky-blue eyes flicker over his face and to the presented food; he watches eagerly for Sasuke's reaction.

_Now I get to baby-sit a demon._ He lifts a portion to his mouth.

_…or sleep with him, _he thinks next and nearly chokes.

"…it's not bad, is it?" Naruto is watching him with huge eyes and transparent despair in the possibility that Sasuke could dislike his meal.

"N-No," Sasuke wipes his mouth, feeling insanely close to laughing. He shrugs instead and lifts up another bite before he slips the thought free. "It's good…"

Instantly, the face blooms into a shy smile that strikes Sasuke through the middle. Naruto doesn't seem to notice; he's bent his head to his own food and all Sasuke can seem to do is watch the way the mouth forms around the spoon.

_…he'll taste like curry…_he thinks, and remembers kissing him. Remembers his duty. _And he'll be eager…_

Sasuke slides his gaze to his food and swirls the bowl, chewing reflexively.

_He'll beg for it…_

Sasuke swallows several times before the food goes down. Dimly, he remembers the mouth and tongue from earlier, the hands that sprawled across his body, the legs that gripped his waist. Dimly, because he was too busy drowning in the unexpected pleasure the Kyubi was yanking from his body. Dimly, because the body beneath him had felt too good.

Dimly, because…

"Sasuke?"

The dark-haired boy looks up with a jolt and realizes he's slowed to a stop, pushing his food with his spoon and staring through the curry as if it'd reveal the secrets of everything.

"Sorry," Sasuke replies automatically and doesn't meet the gaze. "Just thinking."

::::

The hesitation that flashes over Naruto's face goes unnoticed. For a moment the blond stares at his nearly empty dish and frowns.

_Why is he so moody? _

"Hey…" Naruto begins slowly, pushes back his bowl and stands; his chair clatters and scrapes, but doesn't fall. Naruto doesn't seem to notice. The blue gaze is determined when Sasuke raises his eyes, determined and full of some stubborn thing that seems so familiar.

"You know," the blond rushes into his words, almost yelling. "I liked what we did, really. I never thought about that before, okay? But I still thought it was nice, so this is gonna suck if you freak out—"

Sasuke blinks in the moment Naruto takes a breath.

_Oh god what if this doesn't work?_ __

"—because I like being your rival. I like being your friend, too. So, I thought, I'll like being your…um, whatever. You know? I don't care."

And the blond finishes with a stubborn – if slightly pink – face and sits down with crossed arms. His face is turned away to hide the stupid blush and Naruto can't help feeling his lungs are going to be mush from all the pounding in his chest.

A peek shows that Sasuke is looking down with a small flush to his features with his lip caught between his teeth and when the dark eyes slide his way, Naruto ducks his head.

His heart freezes when the sound of a scraping chair reaches him. _He's getting up. Oh crap he's getting up, he's gonna leave…I'm so **stupid**…_ He tries to listen for footsteps before he realizes that Sasuke had entered barefoot, and on linoleum he would be as silent as a ghost—

—and then a hand catches his chin. Naruto opens his eyes with a squeak of startlement and looks to see Sasuke dropping to his knees at his side. The expression he reads in the ebon eyes is muted, a mix of fear and uneasiness. The same feeling Naruto can echo right back, if he wanted to, but he doesn't because he knows what he wants.

Naruto doesn't speak, and Sasuke watches him, searches him with his peculiar intense stare. Naruto watches the other boy inhale, watches him swallow and the flex of his lips as they part—

"Nar—"

Naruto blindly reaches out before the words fall out, fingers closing on a wrist and pulling; he pushes forward because he's only a foot or so away, so it's easy to match his mouth to Sasuke's. He knows he can't kiss very well; his lips are over the lower half of Sasuke's mouth, almost to his chin.

_Please, oh please_, he thinks, just as blind on the inside.

With a motion that seems to take up too much time, Sasuke drops his head a bit to let Naruto kiss him properly, even though the blond's mouth is clumsy and somewhat shy. The long fingers slide along his jaw and through his hair to cup the back of his head. Sasuke increases the pressure of the kiss, moving his mouth as if speaking to him.

Naruto remembers to open his mouth.

Sasuke exhales and slides his tongue past the lips, tasting the curry on the tongue that pushes back in exploration. His hand is fisted in the looser fabric of the shirt at Naruto's waist, flexing with feline movements; Naruto has to remember how to breathe when Sasuke pulls back suddenly, and then he realizes his hands have slid under the hem of the t-shirt and up the back.

There is complacent annoyance flickering behind Sasuke's eyes. His mouth parts, and automatically, Naruto leans forward.

"Hey—" Sasuke gets out before the corner of his mouth is taken.

His mouth trails down Sasuke's cheek as Naruto turns his head; he has to inhale slowly before he speaks. "…what?"

It seems forever passes before Sasuke replies.

"…I'm not good at these things," the boy admits. "I don't know the rules."

"Does there have to be?" Naruto offers, hesitantly. He can't bring his face around, can't look the other in the eye; too close, too personal, too much on the line—

_Neither of us are good at this, Sasuke._ __

"I don't know." There's a pause, and Naruto watches the pulse in the throat. Sasuke smells of soap and Kyubi, of outside and spice. Sasuke's breath stirs the hair just above his ear; it would tickle if the situation had been anything else.

The pause stretches into moments of stolen time. A thought surfaces in Naruto's mind, something simple and irresistible to ask.

"What do you want, Sasuke?"

"I don't know!" the answer comes, pained and harsh whispers.

_That's it,_ Naruto thinks. _That's all there is._ He inhales through the shudder of unknown and carefully lays a kiss on the edge of a jaw.

"Then…" his voice cracks and he has to clear it roughly before continuing. "Then can I kiss you again? I mean, I should really learn how, and you've probably kissed tons of people—"

"No," Sasuke says, surprised. "Just you. So just—" the dark haired boy leans forward; the chair creaks with their combined weight. "—shut up, dobe."

_Just me.__ Just me. Me. **Just me**. _

Naruto turns his head and accepts Sasuke's lips, his tongue, the hand that threads through his hair and pulls him forward. He pulls back on the smooth muscled back, kicking off his chair without warning. Naruto hits the floor on his knees hard, leaving bruises to find in the morning, and tightens his arms around Sasuke's waist and surges up against his body.

The mouth against his is slow because Sasuke seems more concerned with just the action of kissing and that's okay, because Naruto is trying to mimic his movements as much as possible. Learning the right way to move his tongue, the adjustments of his mouth and teeth, how to breathe through his nose when Sasuke doesn't give any sign of pulling away.

He almost doesn't feel the amused, curious hunger of the demon; a blurred sense of location informs him that Kyubi is crouched on the counter behind him, watching them.

"…what's with you stupid humans and all the face-biting?" the demon rasps out.

Sasuke sweeps his tongue briefly against Naruto's and pulls back; his dark eyes flicker as he seeks out the fox. The expression on his face fades into wariness. "It's kissing, Kyubi. And here I thought you knew everything."

"I do know everything," the demon snaps back. "But not stupid things like that."

"It's not stupid," Naruto finds his voice. "It's—"

Sasuke slides down to press wet mouth to the sensitive muscle at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. "It's almost as good as sex," he murmurs.

With a twitching mouth, Naruto closes his eyes and almost laughs. The demon's gnawing curiosity is slashing apart his pride and Naruto almost knows what he'll ask before he says it.

"…can I try?"

Sasuke scrapes teeth over skin and Naruto jumps. When the boy raises his head, the blond catches a glimpse of a challenge in his eyes, the frustration and anger swirling wild.

_Score one point for Sasuke,_ Naruto thinks. His eyes flicker to the demon; without words, he calls to him. There's no way Sasuke can tell, no way that he can see the mix of curiosity and longing behind Kyubi's chakra; he _knows_ this and it makes it okay.

Kyubi drops to a crouch on the kitchen floor and creeps closer until he's leaning up against Naruto's back. The blond almost smirks when Sasuke's eyes narrow as the demon gives him a casual nip to the back of his neck. Almost.

The demon leans around him, and with a mixed sense of excitement and fascination, Naruto watches as Sasuke grips the wild hair in his fist, fierce in his stance and eyes, and leans forward with an open mouth. Kyubi dutifully copies his movements, opening his mouth and tilting his head; he must have been watching.

_Is this what we look like?_ __

The plunge of Sasuke's tongue into the mouth is a challenge the demon accepts, chasing Sasuke's motions with his own. It's raw. Primal. It thrills down into Naruto's gut as Sasuke fights for the control of the kiss, winning by slim margins only through the small amount of experience he had.

One of them makes a frustrated growling noise just as they part. Sasuke wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before he speaks. "Still think it's stupid?"

"_You're_ stupid," the demon mutters, eyes dancing. "But I'll eat you anyway."

"You mean you'll do a better job this time?" Sasuke's voice is oddly hoarse; his eyes glinting red at moments.

"…_you_ liked it enough before," the demon purrs, reaching out and gathering the fabric of Sasuke's shirt in his fist, pulling him closer. "Or you wouldn't be here."

Some dark emotion flits across Sasuke's face too fast for Naruto to identify; but the thought doesn't matter because in that moment—

—as Kyubi nips at the exposed line of Sasuke's throat—

—the dual tone of the doorbell echoes through the house, and everything slides to a stop.

::::

Shikamaru eyes the door with idle curiosity, standing at a calculated range from Chouji and his bag of chips. Standing next to Hinata for support, Kiba scratches at an itch under his parka. The girl nervously presses the doorbell and trembles as she steps back; Akamaru whines softly, ears flattening from his position upon Kiba's head.

The boy looks up, frowning. "What'd you say, Akamaru?"

"You think that he's in there?" Chouji mumbles.

"Ah, who knows," Shikamaru drawls.

"He's gotta be!" Kiba exclaims, his attention flitting from the puppy to the other boy. "My dad said there were Anbu guards all over this area, and this is the _only_ house that they could be hiding out—"

Chouji's expression slides immediately into interested. "You think it's true!? That Naruto screwed up a jutsu and split himself into two people?"

"If it was, don't you think there'd be more people talking about it?" Shikamaru points out, sighing. He glances at Hinata. "Can you see anyone through the door, Hinata?"

"Um," the girl mumbles. "I think—" she pauses, alarm splashing across her face. "Oh," she exclaims weakly, moving back half-a-step into Kiba's side.

The doorknob twists with a rattle and the door flies open—

"N-Naruto?" Shikamaru stammers, knocked cold from his lethargy. Everyone is silent around him; even Chouji has paused in the middle of chewing. Hinata gasps and shies fluidly behind Kiba.

"You," the blond boy with furious red eyes snaps out, "are _interrupting_. Go away."

—and Naruto slams the door in their face.

:

:TBC:

A/N Omgwtfbbq?! haha. yeah, I **live**. I have had tons of crap to deal with recently, as like a bullshit job and the lack of bf and stress of finding out I won't have that much money to pay my bills and I've got school to angst over--but yeah, I'm sure you didn't want to hear about that anyway.

So! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, long-awaited as it was...I know the beginning, sorta of the next chapter, and, I think, there'll be more mention of sex. or, at least, Kyubi's need...or something...cough

I hope the characters still work......ee;;


	7. seven

**-Warning/Disclaimer-**

Naruto and the characters don't belong to me; they belong to Kishimoto. Hey, if I owned them…well, life would be more interesting…XD

**Rated R** for dark themes, future…situations and the usual yaoi-ness. Pairing is Kyubi/Sasuke/Naruto, if you didn't know…

Side note – this takes place after the Chuunin exam, but Sasuke never leaves, and the two never fight (well, not that much) and Kakashi still trains the three of them.

Think age 15!! If you've got questions, I'll try to answer them as best as possible.

Enjoy!

**Division**

-**seven**-

Kyubi vanishes before the information has a chance to sink in, before either of them can react to the noise. Sasuke glances back at Naruto. _Someone's at the door._

The blond looks as bewildered as he feels, the skin flushed and the eyes too blue to look into very long. Naruto's hands are still touching his waist and stomach beneath his shirt; the boy is almost in his lap.

Distantly, Sasuke can hear brief voices, and then the sudden, violent slam of a door.

"…crap," Naruto mutters.

"Come on," Sasuke sighs. "It's probably Tsunada-sama."

--

"What…was that?" Chouji is the first to speak, coughing on fragments of his food. Nervously, he crinkles the bag and shoves it under his shirt for safe-keeping.

"That wasn't Naruto," Kiba whispers. "There's no way that was Naruto…right?"

"It has to be. Who else looks like that?" Hesitantly, Shikamaru looks at the others, at Hinata hiding her face behind her hands, and reaches out to knock on the wood. _Of all the days we come to visit, they've got to be acting strange …what a pain in the ass…_

"Akamaru?" Kiba tilts his head up, but the pup merely whines, shrinking back into the shadows of the hood. "Akamaru, what's wrong?"

There's a mutter of sound behind the closed portal; Shikamaru can almost hear words. The doorknob twists and the door is yanked open for the second time.

"_You have five seconds to run_!" The strange Naruto yells—

—_oh shit_, _he's serious_… Shikamaru has time to think. _–look, his eyes are blue—_

"Goddammit! What the hell are you doing?" snaps a familiar voice, then.

"Fuck off, brat!" Naruto turns his head to growl and snaps briefly at the arm shoving him aside.

"_Move_!" Sasuke orders, and pushes again, bracing himself on the door. Spitting, Naruto glares at them one last time and slips beyond their sight. Scowling after him, Sasuke glances to the four people waiting on the doorstep; surprise flashes through his eyes.

"Oh. It's you guys." Sasuke frowns. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, we…came to visit?" Chouji shrugs when no one would answer. His eyes slide in the direction that Naruto has disappeared; his round face is unnaturally pale.

Shikamaru would bet that all of their faces are whiter than normal. With a blank face, he takes stock of Sasuke's outfit, baggy pants and wrinkled shirt; he wants to stare at the fact that Sasuke looks rumpled and flushed. Sasuke _never_ looks rumpled and flushed. "Is this a bad time?"

Sasuke glances over his shoulder, still frowning, still stiff and unyielding. He hesitates before replying. "…no. Come in, Naruto will be glad to see you, at least."

"Huh? You mean the crazy psycho Naruto? He didn't seem to be that happy if you ask me," Kiba points out, his hands clutching carefully on the edges of his furred hood. Akamaru yips briefly, and Kiba frowns upwards.

"Don't be stupid, Akamaru—"

"That was _Uzumaki_," Sasuke replies slowly. "Not Naruto." He steps back to the side to let them through the doorway, glancing peculiarly at each of them.

"It's true!" Chouji whoops out. "It's true, isn't it! I was right!"

"Geez," Shikamaru mutters. "Don't be so loud."

Sasuke leads them into the small living room that contains a frayed couch and a coffe-table. "What's true?" he asks, motioning to the floor and couch. "Sorry, we don't have that many places to sit."

"That Naruto messed up his jutsu and got stuck," Shikamaru shrugs while everyone crowds behind him. His gaze falls on the blond sitting off against the wall and glaring at everyone as if he dreamed of murder. Shivering, Shikamaru is the first one to pull himself together and seats himself on the end of the couch as far away as possible. _Definitely something strange…_

"I was right!" Chouji repeats, following suit and settling his body on the floor.

"Shut up already," Kiba mutters. He pulls Hinata to his side and crouches, sniffing faintly at the air and glancing frequently at the blond.

"Well…" Sasuke looks strangely uncomfortable; it catches Shikamaru's eye because he's never seen Sasuke express any uncertainty in all the years he's known the other boy. "Something like that."

--

Naruto peeks around the doorway in the shock of seeing the four people seated in various spots in the living room. _They…came to visit?_ _Wow they came to visit!_ No one notices him except for Kyubi, who merely turns his face away. The anger is a soft flicker in the back of his mind; he can sense, somehow, that the fox is struggling hard to keep everything 'nice' for him.

_I can't believe they came to visit… _Naruto feels blundering and shy and hides his tiny smile. He doesn't want to walk right out there, knows that it's something too frightening at the moment. _What if they find out?_ Naruto glances at Kyubi, but the fox doesn't look back.

Hinata is the first to notice him; she gives a small squeak and stares at him from behind Kiba's shoulder. "N-Naruto-kun…?"

"Ah," Naruto smiles shyly and ducks back a fraction. "Hey."

You look…" Shikamaru glances at the others. "…good."

In the silence, Kyubi snorts and drags his fingers against the carpet, tearing it. From the couch, Sasuke motions for Naruto to come away from the door.

"…what's up with him?" Kiba finally asks and pointing to Kyubi after the blond seats himself at Sasuke's feet. "Why is he so…"

"Rude?" Sasuke murmurs, amused, poking Naruto's back with his foot.

"Asshole," Kyubi snaps back harshly; Naruto never noticed how dark his voice sounded with a demon speaking the words. The fox flings a piece of the carpet at Sasuke. "I wasn't the one who let them in. They're not even supposed to be here."

Sasuke snags the fragment out of the air and flings it back. "I'm _aware_ of that—_stop ripping out the carpet_!"

"He's just…crabby," Naruto offers in the lull, and slides into crouch next to the demon. "He's really not that bad…"

"I am too," Kyubi deadpans. "You should get to know me."

Naruto looks back in time to catch a glimpse of Sasuke's mouth twitching into a smile; the rest of them can't seem to find the words. The blond smiles blandly. Sasuke had gotten to know the demon—_In a way_, Naruto amends—and the dark-haired male didn't seem to unnerved. But that might just be the way Sasuke was.

"That's just weird," Chouji sums it up for the rest of them. "I mean…you're both Naruto, right? But you're all…split up. Weird. Sucks to be you."

"Chouji," Hinata whispers. "T-That wasn't nice."

"Well, I'm glad you guys came to visit!" Naruto beams at them, attention zinging back to the others. "I mean, so far we've only seen Ino and Sakura and Iruka-sensei, and Tsunada-hag, of course—"

"_I'm_ not glad," Kyubi snaps, sneering at him. He digs his fingernails into the carpet and tugs violently. "I was _getting_ somewhere. Now I have to wait. I hate _all_ of you."

_He did not just say that,_ Naruto thinks, as Sasuke chokes while trying to inhale and coughs. Dark eyes meet blue in shock and Naruto fights off an unseemly snicker at the distress in his face.

"…What were you guys doing?" Chouji asks.

Naruto glances at Sasuke and frowns. The rending sound of the carpet cuts through the silence. _Save the day, Sasuke and explain that one._ __

Shifting, Sasuke replies, "Sparring."

Before he can stop it, Kyubi's head shoots up and the demon glares at the dark-haired boy. "_That wasn't_—"

"Sparring? You guys were sparring?" Naruto cuts him and manages a disbelieving pout for Sasuke. "Why didn't you let me spar? I like sparring!"

"Maybe next time," Sasuke shoots both of them a pointed look in turn. "And stop yelling."

"…I wasn't yelling," Naruto mutters. "Stop being a jerk."

The curiosity in Shikamaru's eyes fades the tiniest bit; Naruto curses under his breath. _He's suspicious…_Without thinking, he settles back into Kyubi's side. Naruto glances around at the state of their clothes, at uncombed hair and Kyubi's hostile attitude. **_Of_**_ **course** he's suspicious; we're out here alone and no one knows what happened—_

"But—" Kyubi repeats, scowling at him and bunching the torn carpet in his hands. "We weren't—"

"Shut up!" Naruto hisses under his breath, leaning close to smack at his hand one last time. "You can't say that we were…um…you know!"

"Why not?"

"…um…because…because they'll want to try it too!"

Kyubi's eyes go wide and his expression darkens. "I'll kill them first—" he growls, trying to get up. Naruto has to grab at his clothes and tug him back down before anything can happen

"So…why do they have to stay out here?" Shikamaru glances at Naruto pulling at the other Naruto.

"Would _you_ want two of them in the village?" Sasuke replies.

--

"Ah, Inoko-san…"

The woman at the desk pauses in her conversation and looks up at the Hokage. "Yes?"

"Could you tell me if Ashitaka reported back?"

"—There's no record, Hokage-sama."

"Odd…" Tsunade frowns and touches her chin in thoughtful silence.

"Would you like a man to locate him, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes," Tsunade said after a moment. "Send two, and keep me informed."

--

"What do you mean, he's not Naruto?" Kiba mutters to Akamaru. "That's stupid; of course he is! Look at him!"

Yipping, Akamaru shies back until only his dark little nose pokes out of the fur lining Kiba's hood. The young man scowls and shakes his head briefly.

"Fine, be that way—I'll prove it." With a shout, Kiba cuts off the awkward conversation in the room. "Sasuke—That's Naruto, right?" Kiba points to Kyubi with a vaguely uneasy quiver to the middle of his stomach.

_—no way no way—red, his eyes were **red**—people don't **have** red eyes— _is the thought in his head.

Uzumaki watches them with narrowed, cunning eyes and smiles a fraction.

"I…" Sasuke hesitates; he doesn't look in Shikamaru's direction because if he did, the suspicion would crumble any proper defense he wanted to raise—how was he supposed to answer a question like that?

"Ah, of course—" Sasuke's gaze is drawn to the sullen fox. Kyubi's focus has slid towards the window and a strange expression is drawing down his shoulders and pulling tight his lips—

"I get to eat them, right?" Kyubi unexpectedly rises and stalks towards the window; the only one not to watch him move is Naruto; the blond is looking out the same window. Sasuke forces down his anger and opens his mouth to speak.

"Eat us?" Chouji pauses briefly in his munching. "Are you serious?"

"Sasuke—" Naruto hesitates, then gives him a glance so full of abject despair, Sasuke forgets the reason he was about to yell.

_-this is bad-bad-bad—_

The doorbell rings, and Sasuke has a moment to think _What **now**_? in the sudden silence. He exchanges a glance with the group in general, then rises to his feet.

"Can I eat them?" Kyubi repeats impatiently; the blue eyes slide to his and Sasuke shudders at the dark amusement garnered there.

"_No_, moron. Go sit down and behave." Sasuke bites out, but Kyubi merely smiles at him. Sasuke doesn't like the sharpness in that smile and reaches for the door. _What's up with his attitude?_ floats briefly in his mind.

"Sasuke—" Naruto calls out. "Don't—"

"Yeah, don't," Kyubi mocks.

"Quiet, Naruto." Sasuke yanks open the door, looking darkly over his shoulder at the fox. "—and can't you behave like a _normal_ _boy_?"

_"Sasuke-kun!"_ he hears, before he can turn back. Even as his eyes snap to the voice, a horrible sense of fate chokes him. _This is unbelievable—this isn't happening—_He barely—just _barely_—keeps himself from slamming the door. He takes a sickly breath and shudders as the young women—most of which he can't remember their names—all squeal out a greeting.__

"Uh," Sasuke tries to speak. "What do you want?"

Most of the girls giggle and among the noise he hears "Came for you!" and "Sasuke-kun!" and a soft "Aw, he's so _adorable_ in sweatpants!"

Sasuke grimaces and tightens his grip on the door.

"Uh, should we be leaving?" Chouji whispers loudly. "Shikamaru?"

The first girl of the group, the one Sasuke assumes is the leader—Momoji, he thinks her name is—she moves decisively forward. He wonders why he doesn't see Ino or Sakura heading the females today; belatedly, he remembers what had happened with both of them and figures they had reason not to come.

"Aren't you going to let us in?" Momoji asks brightly, smiling.

"Uh…." Sasuke decides it's better not to turn his head away. "This isn't a good time—"

"But you've already got company—"

Against his will, he glances over his shoulder, dreading what his instincts were telling him. _This isn't good_. Shikamaru and Kiba, at least, look a little worried. Chouji doesn't seem to care, as long as he still has the bag of chips he stashed earlier; Hinata…well, he wasn't sure if Hinata always looked that shy and nervious or not.

_Naruto_…Sasuke's gaze lingers briefly on the blond; he looks pale and small next to Chouji. Like a child.

Then there was Kyubi, bristling and baring his teeth in the shadow of the window.

"No," Sasuke repeats. "It's not a good time—"

"Okay, then—" Momoji turns neatly on her heel and snaps her fingers. "The rest of you, go wait out there!"

"Wait—" Sasuke tries to protest, but the damage is done. With one more warning glance at Kyubi, he shuts the door behind the three girls who _have_ entered unwillingly. "Why are you here?" in a halting voice, exquisitely aware of the exact moment Kyubi flows into movement. Sasuke moves to head him off. "Keh-Uzumaki—"

"Bite me, Sasuke," Kyubi growls, gliding around the three girls. He smiles thinly, baring the tips of his teeth.

"How rude," one girl mutters. "Honestly, you shouldn't be so rude to Sasuke—"

"Rude?" Kyubi grins sharply for Sasuke and slides around the girls in another circle.

Sasuke rubs his forehead discreetly. "Uzumaki," he tries to say as the girls whisper amongst themselves.

"Well," Momoji remarks. "No _wonder_ you're all the way out here, away from the village—with the way he's acting…" Her voice crawls to a stop; she sneers in disdain.

"Well," Kyubi drawls, pushing his face close to hers in hostility. "No wonder you're ugly."

_Great_, _just great._ With a speed unexpected, Sasuke reaches out and twists his fingers into the loose fabric of Kyubi's dark shirt, pushing back against the chest. "Hey," he said, thumping his knuckles against the muscle. "Go outside."

Kyubi's still-blue eyes slide towards his in a surprise quickly masked with a sneer. "What?"

"Out," Sasuke repeats, pushing. The side of his face tweaks as the girls begin to giggle behind their hands; he can't _stand_ the sound. Kyubi doesn't speak when he leans up against Sasuke's hand, leaning into personal space.

"You want me outside—with the _rest_ of them?"

_God—how many could there be?_ Sasuke shudders; he pushes aside the catch of panic in the demon's henge-blue eyes, the rise of something darker. _I can't deal with all of them at once—_ "It's too…crowded in here, Uzumaki."__

"_Tell_ me about it," one girl mutters.

Kyubi stares at him; Sasuke catches a flicker of red, of anger and inhuman power lurking behind his eyes. "Not happening, brat."

"You're better off outside," Sasuke drops his voice to a rough whisper. "—and you _will_, if you ever want to _spar_ again."

Kyubi pushes so close with a snarl on his face that Sasuke feels the brush of his hair and the radiating warmth of his skin. In a very quiet voice, soft and delicate, the demon whispers "You won't walk for _days_ when this is over, human—"

Sasuke stumbles as the demon vanishes with burst of violent chakra.

"_Ooh!_" Momoji's two disciples squeal and quiver in place. "Sasuke-kun is so _strong_!"

Sasuke feels the high pitch of the voice grate through his skull and turns away without a word. Even when Momoji latches onto his arm and the two minions circle around with prying eyes and fingers, he forces down the shudder.

"—Can't believe you're _staying_ _here_—"

"How annoying," Shikamaru mutters as the girls 'float' past.

"Tch. Sasuke should have a _way_ better place—"

Sasuke scans the faces and stops short—there is no mop of blond hair and the bright eyes looking back at him. "Where's Naruto?"

Momoji blinks coyly from her perch on Sasuke's arm. "Sasuke-kun is so silly—Uzumaki already went outside like you said, remember?"

In the silent pause that follows, Sasuke gives her a 'yes, we know you're stupid' look and Kiba distinctly mutters out "Idiots."

"I-I-I think he's eh-in the back," Hinata murmurs.

"Thanks," Sasuke replies and heads for the wallway and towards Naruto. By the time he reaches the door—it wasn't a very long hallway—he realizes that his arm is still attached to Momoji. "What…" Sasuke pulls at the weight on his arm. "-are you doing?"

"Going with you!"

"No—you can't come inside. Go back to the other room."

"But—"

"_Now!_" Sasuke shouts.

The girls scatter with another wrenching squeal—

_I can't kill them. Can't. Kyubi will, but I can't—god, why did I tell him to go outside?_ Sasuke debates the benefits of slamming his forehead into the wall, then sighs and reaches for the doorknob. "Naruto?"

--

Chouji breaks the unnatural silence by breaking open a fresh bag of chips, brushing off the crumbs. Without places to sit—Shikamaru refused to move and Kiba just sneered at them—the three girls stand and fidget to the music of a crinkling bag.

"Hey," Chouji asks. "Shikamaru? Where's Ino? Isn't she usually at the head?"

"How should I know?" Shikamaru mumbles.

After a pause where Momoji exchanged dark glances with her two subordinates and Chouji munched on chips, Kiba raises his head and blinks. "I hear…screaming."

--

"Naruto?" Sasuke shuts the door behind him, leaning against it for a moment, then walks towards the bed. He touches light fingers to the shaking lump of bed-covers. "Hey, I know you're not sleeping…"

"Mmhn…" Naruto makes a hunching motion and Sasuke can feel the shaking intensify.

"Naruto?" Sasuke pulls at the cover. "Come on, look up here."

"…sorry," Naruto rasps, burrowing away from Sasuke's gaze. "I just didn't want to be out there…not when they…"

"You think I do?" Sasuke settles on the bed. "Sit up."

Naruto complies with his forehead bumping against the middle of Sasuke's chest; his hands tug up the blanket until it's wrapped around the shoulders. "Sorry," he repeats in a whisper. "But those girls don't like me."

"I'll get rid of them," Sasuke promises. "Come on—" he presses his hands to the head.

"Don't." Naruto snakes his arms around Sasuke's middle. "Can't you stay in here? They'll just do that _girly_ stuff…"

"Naruto—" Sasuke pauses to run his fingers against the blond hair. "It's okay—I'll be right there—"

—rapid knocking on the door interrupts. Sasuke's breath hitches in his throat and he glares at the offending door—

"Sasuke! Sasuke, you better get out here!" someone shouts between pounding on the door.

_It's Kiba_, Sasuke thinks. _What is it **now**_? Sasuke strides off the bed and walks to the door while Naruto covers up his feet in the blanket. Sasuke yanks open the door and growls "What is it?"

Kiba glances at the Naruto behind him, sniffing strangely, then shrugs and clears his throat. "Uh…"

"Well?"

"Uzumaki's attacking the girls outside."

"…great." Throwing one last glance at Naruto—who smiled bleakly—Sasuke brushes past Kiba. Squeals and hysteria beckon him from beyond the hallway, unhappy about having to _save_ a bunch of useless females, and even less pleased by the fact he'll end up dealing with a hostile demon.

"Sasuke!"

"-oh-"

"You're so strong, protecting us—Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke ignores the relief and teary thanks from Momoji and leans to peer out of the window. _This day can't get worse..._

"Are you going to stop him?" Momoji breathes.

"Yes, so shut up," Sasuke tells her without looking. "And you will all _stay inside_."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Shikamaru waves him off. "Go turn them off already."

--

"Uhm…" Kiba glances back inside the bedroom, vague unease skittering around his spine at the sight of a single bed, the scattered clothes and a small, wrapped up bundle of Naruto. "You okay?"

Nodding, Naruto says, "Just a little…tired."

"Oh. You gonna be in here for a while then?"

"I don't know."

Kiba absently pats the trembling Akamaru when he whines. _I can smell sex and blood in here, too_. The thought leads him towards a conclusion he can't quite grasp, and shunts the possibility aside. _They're just not telling us something…_

Akamaru yips in his ear.

"No," Kiba murmured. "That's not possible; you're just smelling the jutsu."

But the room still smells like sex, smells like Naruto and Sasuke and the bitter tang of Uzumaki's sweat. He realizes his nose is twitching reflexively, and he's glancing slowly around the room as if searching for something; Naruto watches him stand there with huge blue eyes. Uncomfortable, unsure, Kiba asks out of habit, "You sure you don't wanna come back?"

--

Sasuke stomps out onto the yard, ignoring the happy cries and sniffles that his presence generates. He whirls and walks backward to pinpoint the demon, jaw and throat tight with frustration. Broken shards of shingles litter the yard and crunch under his feet.

"Uzumaki!" Sasuke catches sight of the demon prying up another shingle. The girls have grouped together behind him, and while most fall into silence with his entrance, one or two still shake their fists and spit shrill insults.

_"Uzumaki!_

Kyubi snaps his head around, shingle dangling and sneers. "Fuck _off_ already."

"Get down here."

"No. No – no – no and, you fucking bastard, _no!_" Kyubi flings a shard at the females; Sasuke watches it shatter on the grown and hears the squawking mutter behind him. "You said outside, I'm outside!"

"And you're supposed to be _normal_ and that doesn't mean attacking other people!"

His only answer is several shingles self-destructing at his feet.

"Goddammit—" Sasuke tugs at his hair. "Stop ripping up the roof!"

Kyubi stalks to another section of the building. Sasuke can see bare patches of wood where the shingles once lay. "Why? It's _fun_ and I like fun—"

"Yeah? Well now it's gonna leak in the rain—you like _that_? You like getting rained on?" Sasuke is barely aware he's yelling right back, barely aware that he's dodging brittle sharp edges on the ground.

"_Yeah?!_" Kyubi bares his teeth and laughs. "_Good_, _I hope you_ **_drown_**!"

--

Naruto feels too nervous about going back out into the living-room—as comfortable as he is around the others, something about the three females trigger his instincts into warning. They aren't here for him, and he has no protection if they decide to attack him—

Why they would he doesn't know; it's just an oily fear that gnaws inside his gut. He wants to run, wants to hide away until the silence whispers around them and no one but Sasuke and Kyubi are within arms reach.

But he can't, so he follows Kiba down the hall, hanging back in the shadows when they reach the room.

"Hey—what's going on out there?" Kiba darts to the window where almost everyone else stands, crowded and pushing for a glimpse.

Shikamaru sniffs. "They're yelling. That's about it."

"Aw, I was hoping they'd fight—"

Chouji clears his throat. "Hah." He rustles his bag. "I bet they will—Never seen Sasuke so angry—hey, Shikamaru, what do you think will happen?"

"How should I know?"

Naruto stands with his arms around his middle and wishes again that he was somewhere else. Flushing, he even wishes briefly there hadn't been an interruption and that he was _busy_, rather than sick with some fear that someone would find out.

Hinata, still seated on the couch, smiles shyly at him. No one else seems to be aware of his presence—

Naruto feels almost relieved, almost relaxed. He can hear yelling under the higher, feminine shrieks. _I hope Sasuke isn't yelling too much at him…_He edges forward, wanting the bravery to go up to the window and look for himself, or even go outside—

—"Stop shoving, I can't see Sasuke!" The girl Naruto recognizes as Momoji stands at the forefront, her nose almost flat against the glass.

"…nothing but trouble," he hears Shikamaru mutter.

"I hope Naruto's getting what he deserves," the smaller third girl pushes between Chouji and the wall. "Hey, let me see!"

"Isn't he-eeyeaaah!"

Naruto jumps as someone screams very close—his eyes fly to one of the nameless groupie girls who points at him. She's nearly white with fear, and suddenly, the three girls have refocused their attention on him.

_Oh crap,_ Naruto thinks. _They really **are** stupid._ __

"Geez, what's your problem?" Shikamaru cringes, covering his ears.

"Na-Nah-Naruto!" The girls gasp.

"Eh…" Naruto pulls back, ducking as the girls whirl out of their places and surround him, heart slamming near his throat; he can't breathe, can't think and if the females didn't back off—

"There's two of them?"

"No way!"

"Well, look! He's right there!"

Silence falls into the cracks when Naruto merely shrugs and weaves his fingers together, swallowing nervously when the girls look at him like he has some strange creature crawling on his foot.

"It's not a bunshin, is it?"

"No—" Shikamaru tries to speak.

"Hmph. Who cares?"

"It's not—"

Naruto can't speak. He tries to vanish deeper into the shadows because he doesn't want such close scrutiny, can't speak and move and yell like he wants to—_Sasuke—_

"Well, he doesn't _act_ like Naruto—"

"—mabye he _is_ a bunshin—"

Eyes like stones glare at him, mocking spite and gleeful in their hate. Naruto shudders and turns his gaze downward—The noise increases to match the hostile screams outside—

Oh, how he _hated_ those girls—

"Leave him alone!"

Naruto jumps for the second time, twitching and slightly sick to his stomach, and looks at Kiba.

"What?" one girl gasps. "-What did you say?"

Kiba bares his teeth and even Akamaru manages to snarl as the boy snaps out the words, "Because, you stupid bitch, he's not _whole_. He messed up a jutsu—you see him? That's _him_!" Kiba draws in a breath. "That other Naruto—" something flickers in his gaze—"Well, that's him too!"

"Buh—" Momoji sputters, half-curled hands drawing up towards her chest.

"—So stop harassing him when he's hurt and I won't have to point out your stupidity."

When his words fall into the quietness, Chouji hides a smirk behind a handful of chips. Shikamaru manages a twitching mouth, and even Hinata pulls a frown at the three girls.

"Kiba…" Naruto pushes his laced fingers against his stomach and enjoys the brief warmth of the unexpected defense.

"Hmph."

The girls suffer a moment of apoplectic shock, a triad of open, stunned mouths and trembling lips until—Naruto's eyes fly upwards, washed in a shielded rage, helpless frustrated _anger_ so dark his eyes close and the world swayed—in the distance, one girl explodes into delayed, indignant rage.

_-Kyubi_-

—and a infuriated ear-scratching shriek from above them pulls all the attention upward.

Naruto's eyes close. "Damn."

"God," Chouji swallows. "He's sure making a lot of noise."

"_…_oh _don't—"_ Naruto lets out a strangled half-breath of sound—the girls, all three, are yelling and crossing their arms and reassuring each other that yes, they _were_ special and the rebuke was some strange fluke because Kiba was a freak _too_—__

Then the rage seeped into black threads and Naruto feels fear and he can almost _taste _Sasuke on his mouth again, and this time, Kyubi is really going to eat him—

Kiba is yelling back insults that sting the wounded pride—the room is noisy and crowded –the house wasn't that big—and Naruto can hear Sasuke's voice—

—feel Kyubi's angry jealous _hate_—

—and it was all coming down. Naruto opens his eyes and whips his head around to face the window—it was open, just a crack, and before anyone realizes it, Naruto is gone.

--

_"Get down here!"_ Sasuke remembers screaming. He had to be loud, had to yell because there were too many _girls_ around him and Kyubi looked ready to destroy anything he could—

Sasuke is afraid, coldly horribly afraid and can't stop himself from yelling back.

"Alright, Sasuke!"

"—tell him—yeah!"

"—just what he deserves—"

"Stupid _stupid_ Naruto—"

"_Shut up_!" Kyubi shrieks. "This is _our fight_ you stupid bitches!"

Kyubi's rage is drowned by the resounding yells against him. Sasuke feels arms on his skin, hands and hugging bodies and doesn't care—even though his skin crawls and he can't stop shaking and wishing for nothing more that he and Naruto and—god, even the _demon_—were alone. Quiet. Calm.

_—so angry, angry enough he'll kill me this time—_

Kyubi is leaning over the peak of the house, fingers and knuckles white—as white as the teeth he shows in threat, white like snow and Sasuke wants those eyes to be red instead of blue so he doesn't have to see Naruto in that face. Sasuke wants Kyubi to stop snarling and looking so _pissed_—

—he wants nothing to do with this, nothing at all—

—so he stares up with his own burning eyes and remembers how _it felt_ and glares all the more—

"Kick his ass, Sasuke!"

"—needs a good smack—"

"—such a retard—"

"—yeah, proper ninjas don't—"

Dimly, Sasuke will remember hearing yells from inside the house, hearing voices that preluded the demon's shriek—

—horrible shrieking painful noise that digs between his ears and scratches inside his chest because it's so _loud_ and it's hateful and broken like glass.

_-he's lost his temper_, Sasuke thinks.

Girls cry out noiseless against Kyubi's scream—Sasuke has to cover his ears with a wince—many of the girls surge back, back against Sasuke and his own anger, against him and Kyubi's fury darkens down around them; the demon looks so angry he wants to smile.

His heart thuds and Sasuke realizes his Sharingan is active and his heart thuds again—and Kyubi's force of departure shatters more of the brittle shingles and then the demon's streaking towards Sasuke. Silence falls between the space of breathing and screaming and Sasuke pulls back—the demon will kill the girls if they're close, he knows it, but most of the girls are scattering in instinctive speed as the demon flashes by them, at them, over them—

—it's _Sasuke_ he wants to kill—

—and a wordless cry falling before the blur of blue and blond and cream-colored skin as Kyubi and Naruto tumble around the ground. Naruto's arms are wrapped around the middle of his double, and by sheer _weight_ he's holding down the demon—even as Kyubi scratches and hisses and viciously sinks his teeth into the flesh

"—stoppit—" Naruto pins the demon long enough to yank Kyubi's head back by the hair.

Kyubi snarls and twists, wordlessly enraged, the strength of the demon flips their bodies, until his clawing hands are leaving blood on Naruto's arms and shoulder—Sasuke feels the echo of Naruto's head meeting the earth in a painful thud.

"—Stupid weak little mudworm—" the demon flattens a hand on Naruto's chest, the other curling into claws and held high above Naruto's head for the killing strike. "Fuck the seal _and_ this bullshit—_i'll destroy you first_!"

"Naruto..." is all Sasuke has time whisper.

Kyubi twists. Sasuke hears screaming and the hand streaks down with all of Kyubi's force and body behind it. Even to the last moment, he sees the stubborn glint in those blue eyes and at the last moment, Naruto bucks. The deadly force in Kyubi's hand crushes onto Naruto's shoulder instead of the skull, snapping the collarbone and three ribs instantly.

Sasuke watches the pain bloom in Naruto's eyes, the blood on the corner of his mouth--

_he's dead-no way-no way he could survive that—_

Sasuke does the only thing he can think of. Fingers flash and the shuriken whistle out into the air. Focused, Kyubi doesn't dodge the weapons and three of the five shuriken meet the muscle of his back and shoulder. Twitching, Kyubi doesn't even stop—Sasuke sees the arm raise again despite the blood streaking the shoulder—

_something's wrong_

—So Sasuke flies through a jutsu with only the thought that he'd have to avoid Naruto, somehow, and he wasn't sure if it was possible--he knelt and inhaled all at once—

"Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" and he felt the focus spark through his fingers and then he was blowing fire—quickly, he slams his hand to the ground and channels his chakra out. The fire rushed along the path and lashed straight for the demon—

—screams and the sense of fear—the burning smoke in his throat, the numbness—

—fire and smoke and the empty-gut feeling of using too much chakra—

—_did I—did I stop him?_ Sasuke doesn't know if he could find the strength to stand. "Naruto?" The smoke is so thick he can't see anything around him yet, even though he can hear everything—

The breeze begins to disperse the lingering haze and then Sasuke chokes in disbelief.

Red eyes shine eerily through the densest part of the haze—they _glow_ and Sasuke bites his tongue down on the scream in his throat and tastes blood.

"Bastard," the demon hisses.

Naruto—where's Naruto Sasuke scans the ground—did he miss? Miscalculate? where—no, _there_—Sasuke's eyes snap to the coughing, curled up Naruto on the ground. Still alive-Still there—and in the heartbeat he looks back to the demon.

_he's really…_

Kyubi's eyes flare in their bloody color and slowly, he shows his teeth—Sasuke is dimly aware of the dead-silent crowd around them--silence, thank god, cause Sasuke doesn't think Kyubi would stay as 'calm' as he was—

"—Fuu Kaze no jutsu!"(1)

—and sixteen kunai find a pattern around the demon, flaring white. A man in a painted bird mask lands—Kyubi snarls as he fades behind the light—

_The Anbu. The Anbu came_. Sasuke goes limp and nearly falls. He hurts all over and his throat burns. He has to catch himself with his hands flat on the ground and looks up. The light in the trap-jutsu fade enough to show Kyubi stalking in a tight little circle with flexing hands. Sasuke watches him move with a strange sensation. Why is he doing this?

"Are you—" the Anbu begins.

"He'll find a way around those," Sasuke warns the Anbu. "Don't take your eyes off him, but—" Then darkness drags at him by the chest and he hits the ground in a semi-conscious blur.

…_but don't hurt him he wants to say_, but can't find the strength.

--TBC--

A/N – yay! Took me long enough, but it's here! I, uh, didn't plan for this to happen? No, really…oO—Kyubi wasn't supposed to lose it—and this chapter was getting so long I had to break it down…but I hope this helps even if I did put a cliffhanger in at the end—but it's necessary, people. I'll show you why next time. XD

1 - Fuu Kaze no Jutsu Sealing Wind Jutsu ( i think? i made it up! oo)


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